Where it is
Below the brain, in the hypophyseal fossa of the base of the skull.
- Layer
- Organs
- System
- Endocrine system
- Region
- Head
What it is and what it does
The hypophysis, the pituitary gland, hangs from the ventral face of the hypothalamus by an infundibulum and sits in the hypophyseal fossa on the dorsal face of the basisphenoid, on the floor of the cranial cavity. In the dog it is circular and rather small, and the fossa is shallow. It releases hormones that command the thyroid, the adrenals and the gonads.
Worth remembering
It belongs to the endocrine system, together with the thyroid in the organs layer.
Names
- Latin term: hypophysis.
- In Romanian: Hipofiza (Romanian page).
In the atlas lessons
The brain and scent: where the trail ends up (7 min).