Somite

A somite is a division of the body of an animal or embryo.

Somites are bilaterally paired blocks of paraxial mesoderm that form along the head-to-tail axis of the developing embryo in segmented animals. In vertebrates, somites subdivide into the sclerotomes, myotomes and dermatomes that give rise to the vertebrae of the vertebral column, rib cage, and part of the occipital bone; skeletal muscle, cartilage, tendons, and skin (of the back).