Keel (anatomy)

A keel (or in Latin carina), in anatomy, is a structure whose shape resembles the keel of a boat. The term may refer to:

Animal anatomy
  • Keel (bird anatomy), a perpendicular extension of a bird's breastbone, to which wing muscles anchor
  • Keel (slug), a morphological feature on the back of some land slugs which resembles the keel of an upturned boat
  • Keel in a gastropod shell, a sharp ridge or edge at the shoulder or the center of periphery of the whorls of a snail shell
  • The caudal keel in fish anatomy, a strengthening ridge at the base of the tail
  • Keeled scales, reptile scales that have a ridge down the center, rather than being smooth

Human anatomy

Plant anatomy
  • Keel (petal), the two bottom petals, below the wings, in flowers of the subfamily Faboideae of the flowering plant family Fabaceae; sometimes joined to form a structure whose shape resembles the keel of a boat

See also


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