Gastrulation in mammals establishes the basic body plan and three primary germ layers - ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm - through a complex series of cell movements and shape changes in the blastula. The ectoderm forms the skin, nervous system, and sense organs. The mesoderm forms the skeleton, muscles, blood vessels, heart, blood, gonads, kidneys, and skin dermis. The endoderm lines the digestive and respiratory tracts, liver, pancreas, thymus, and thyroid. Cells move during gastrulation through invagination, involution, delamination, and ingression. Gastrulation in mammals follows a similar pattern to birds, forming