Contains the pericardial cavity and surrounds<span> the remaining thoracic organs. ...</span>Houses the spinal cord<span>, the digestive organs, which opens to the exterior at the anus.
The spinal cord<span> (and brain) are protected by three layers of tissue or membranes called meninges, that </span>surround the canal . The dura mater is the outermost layer, and it forms a tough protective coating. Between the dura mater and the surrounding bone of the vertebrae is a space called the epidural space.<span>Together the cranial cavity and vertebral cavity can be referred to as the dorsal body cavity. In the posterior (dorsal) cavity, the cranial cavity </span>houses<span> the brain, and the </span>spinal<span> cavity (or vertebral cavity) encloses the </span>spinal cord<span>.</span>
