Nape

The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is also called the nucha (from the Medieval Latin rendering of the Arabic نُخَاع, 'spinal marrow'). The corresponding adjective is nuchal, as in the term nuchal rigidity for neck stiffness.

In many mammals, the nape bears a loose, non-sensitive area of skin, known as the scruff, by which a mother carries her young by her teeth, temporarily immobilizing it during transport. In the mating of cats, the male will grip the female's scruff with his teeth to help immobilize her during the act,^[1] a form of pinch-induced behavioral inhibition.