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. 2012 Dec;53(3-4):240–252. doi: 10.1093/ilar.53.3-4.240

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Key stages in the development of the mammalian secondary palate. Panels depict ventral views of the oral cavity with the tongue removed. Formation of the secondary palate occurs between gestational day (GD) 12 and GD 14 in mice (shown) and gestational weeks 6.5 to 10 in humans, in which the developmental steps depicted are similar. During this process, the pair of secondary palatal shelves (P2) grow toward each other, make contact along their respective medial edge epithelia (MEE; GD 12 and GD 13) to form the medial edge seam (MES; GD 14), effectively separating the oral from the nasal cavities. Mx, maxilla; P1, primary palate; P2, secondary palate; T, tongue; U, upper lip.