dorsal body cavity

{{Short description|Main cavity in the human body}}

Image:Scheme body cavities-en.svg: Dorsal body cavity is to the left.]]

The dorsal body cavity is located along the dorsal (posterior) surface of the human body, where it is subdivided into the cranial cavity housing the brain and the spinal cavity housing the spinal cord. The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system. {{cite book|author1=I. Edward Alcamo|author2=Barbara Krumhardt|title=Anatomy and Physiology the Easy Way|url=https://archive.org/details/anatomyphysiolog00alca|url-access=registration|accessdate=12 May 2013|year=2004|publisher=Barron's Educational Series|isbn=978-0-7641-1979-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/anatomyphysiolog00alca/page/8 8]–}} The two cavities are continuous with one another.{{cite book|author=Edward Alcamo|title=Anatomy Coloring Workbook, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NiTLf7g1n04C&pg=PA2|accessdate=12 May 2013|date=29 July 2003|publisher=The Princeton Review|isbn=978-0-375-76342-7|pages=2–}} The covering and protective membranes for the dorsal body cavity are the meninges.{{cite book|author=Hogie McMurtrie|title=McMurtrie's human anatomy coloring book: a systematic approach to the study of the human body : thirteen systems|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEvaSwwiuagC&pg=PA22|accessdate=12 May 2013|year=2006|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-4027-3788-6|pages=22–}}

It is one of the two main body cavities, along with the ventral body cavity.