ULTIMOBRANCHIAL GLAND


Meaning of ULTIMOBRANCHIAL GLAND in English

in biology, any of the small bodies in the pharynx that develop behind the fifth pair of gill pouches in the vertebrate embryo. In mammals the ultimobranchial tissue has become incorporated into the thyroid gland. Ultimobranchial glands produce the hormone calcitonin, which reduces the amount of calcium in the blood.

Britannica English vocabulary.      Английский словарь Британика.