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The interactive dog atlas · Muscles · Trunk

Epaxial muscles (longissimus) musculus longissimus

The epaxial muscles lie along the spine, above it, from the pelvis to the head; in the drawing they are the band below the trapezius and the latissimus dorsi. The longest of them, the longissimus, runs from the pelvis to the head.

Open in the interactive atlas Guide: Muscles Worksheet

Educational material, not a diagnostic tool. Written by the Mantrailing România team from veterinary sources we read. Updated 14.11.2026.

Dog in left lateral view — exterior, muscles, skeleton and organs Vector study after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates: a standing dog, head to the left, deep chest and digitigrade limbs. The four layers use the same contour: exterior with body regions, superficial muscles, skeleton and organs.
Epaxial muscles (longissimus) on the atlas drawing, "Muscles" layer. Left lateral view, after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates.

Where it is

Along the vertebral column, above it, from the pelvis to the head; in the drawing, the band below the trapezius and latissimus.

Layer
Muscles
System
Muscles
Region
Trunk

What it is and what it does

The epaxial muscles lie dorsal to the spine and extend it; the largest of them, the longissimus, runs from the pelvis to the head and is the longest muscle in the body. At the gallop, flexion and extension of the spine greatly lengthen the stride: these muscles are part of the engine of running.

Worth remembering

They extend the spine; at the gallop, the bending and straightening of the back greatly lengthen the stride.

Names

  • Latin term: musculus longissimus.
  • In Romanian: Epaxialii (longissimus) (Romanian page).

Guides it appears in

From the same region: Trunk

All structures, in the atlas · Flashcards: muscles