Standard anatomical position in human anatomy
- The standard anatomical position is the reference position for anatomical location terms.
- It is used to standardize the position of appendages in relation to the main body of the organism.
- In the standard anatomical position, the human body is standing erect and at rest.
- The limbs are placed in positions reminiscent of the supine position imposed on cadavers during autopsy.
- The feet are together or slightly separated, and the arms are rotated outward with palms forward.

Implications of limb positions in the standard anatomical position
- The positions of the limbs have important implications for directional terms in those appendages.
- The penis in the anatomical position is described in its erect position and lies against the abdomen.
- The dorsal surface of the penis is actually anterior when the penis is flaccid.
- Limb positions help avoid confusion in terminology when referring to the same organism in different postures.
- For example, even if the elbow is flexed, the hand remains distal to the shoulder.

Standard anatomical position of the skull (Frankfurt plane)
- The Frankfurt plane is the agreed-upon anatomical position of the human skull.
- It is a position in which the lower margins of the orbits and the upper margins of the ear canals lie in the same horizontal plane.
- The Frankfurt plane approximation is based on the position the head would be in if the subject were standing upright and facing forward.
- It is used for comparison of human skulls with those of other species, particularly hominids and primates.
- The Frankfurt plane is not considered the anatomical position for most non-primate species.

History of the Frankfurt plane
- The Frankfurt plane was established at the World Congress on Anthropology in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in 1884.
- It was decreed as the anatomical position of the human skull.
- The plane passes through the inferior margin of the left orbit and the superior margin of each ear canal.
- The alternate spelling 'Frankfort plane' is also widely used.
- The Frankfurt plane is also referred to as the auriculo-orbital plane.

Standard anatomical position in other animals
- For dogs, the standard anatomical position has the abdomen ventral with each paw standing on the supporting surface.
- The standard anatomical position may vary in different animal species.
- The Frankfurt plane can be used as a reference point in related fields, such as prosthodontics.
- The Frankfurt-Mandibular plane Angle (FMA) is the angle formed at the intersection of the Frankfurt plane with the mandibular plane.
- The standard anatomical position is important for comparative anatomy studies.