Secondary palate

Secondary palate
A sagittal section of a pig's (Sus sp.) snout showing the secondary palate.
Details
Identifiers
Latin	Palatum secundarium, palatum definitivum
Code	TE E5.4.1.1.4.0.5
Anatomical terminology []

The secondary palate is an anatomical structure that divides the nasal cavity from the oral cavity in many vertebrates.

In human embryology, it refers to that portion of the hard palate that is formed by the growth of the two palatine shelves medially and their mutual fusion in the midline. It forms the majority of the adult palate and meets the primary palate at the incisive foramen.

Secondary palate development begins in the sixth week of pregnancy and can lead to cleft palate when development goes awry.

There are three major mechanisms known to cause this failure:

The secondary palate is thought to have a significant role in the development of warm-blooded animals. The first creatures with secondary palates are known from the fossil record starting from the mid-Permian.