tail of pancreas in dogs

The tail of the pancreas, located anatomically left near the hilum of the spleen, is not simply an anatomical distinction. The tail is the only part of the pancreas which contains Pancreatic Polypeptide (PP) cells, which are responsible for secreting pancreatic polypeptide to coordinate exocrine and islet enzyme release. PP cells are found in the tail's periphery. Beta cells and delta cells are found in the central part of the tail as with the rest of the pancreas. The cells described above are located exclusively in the islet cells; their secretions reach exocrine portions of the pancreas via the capillary network surrounding the islet cell populations. [WP,unvetted]. Every claim on this page comes from the Leumas anatomy graph and carries its source.

What the tail of pancreas is

The tail of the pancreas, located anatomically left near the hilum of the spleen, is not simply an anatomical distinction. The tail is the only part of the pancreas which contains Pancreatic Polypeptide (PP) cells, which are responsible for secreting pancreatic polypeptide to coordinate exocrine and islet enzyme release. PP cells are found in the tail's periphery. Beta cells and delta cells are found in the central part of the tail as with the rest of the pancreas. The cells described above are located exclusively in the islet cells; their secretions reach exocrine portions of the pancreas via the capillary network surrounding the islet cell populations. [WP,unvetted]. The atlas records it as a organ at the organ scale in the dog.

Where the tail of pancreas is

It sits in the trunk. Not positioned individually. Drawn inside the structure this dataset says contains it — the containment is asserted, the exact spot within it is not.

What the tail of pancreas connects to

The atlas records 4 typed relationships for it, across 3 kinds of connection. part of organ and pancreas.

Supply and innervation

This dataset asserts no arterial supply, venous drainage or innervation for the tail of pancreas. Only a minority of structures carry those edges here, so an empty answer means nothing has been recorded — not that there is nothing to record.

Also called

Also recorded as left extremity of pancreas, pancreas tail, pancreatic tail and cauda pancreatis. Searching any of those names reaches this page.

Source

Uberon multi-species anatomy ontology (Mungall et al.), CC BY 4.0. Term UBERON:0001151, version 2026-06-19, retrieved 2026-08-24. Licence: CC-BY-4.0.

Questions

Where is the tail of pancreas?

It sits in the trunk. Not positioned individually. Drawn inside the structure this dataset says contains it — the containment is asserted, the exact spot within it is not.

What does the tail of pancreas connect to?

Part of: organ and pancreas.

Is the tail of pancreas the same in other species?

This page describes the dog. The human record of the same structure sits beside it on /compare, over one shared model rather than two atlases built separately.