Skip to content
EasyAnatomyLab
Menu

Major alar cartilage: anatomy, location and function

The major alar cartilage is a U-shaped cartilage forming the tip and sides of the nostril. It keeps the nostrils open and shapes the nasal tip.

Loading 3D model…
Skin0%
Muscles100%

Structures

Loading… Click the model or search.

Highlighted in the model: Major alar cartilage. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Major alar cartilage at a glance

What it is
The major alar cartilage is a U-shaped cartilage forming the tip and sides of the nostril.
Location
It lies in the lower part of the external nose, around each nostril, with medial and lateral crura.
Function
It keeps the nostrils open and shapes the nasal tip.
Body system
Respiratory · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA59505 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Small accessory cartilages lie lateral to it.
  • Its lateral crus shapes the ala of the nose and its medial crus forms the columella between the nostrils.

Structures next to the major alar cartilage

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Major alar cartilage (FMA59505). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §22.1 Organs and Structures of the Respiratory System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.