Visceral peritoneum covers suspended organs.
Normally, elements of the gastrointestinal tract and its derivatives completely fill the abdominal cavity, making the peritoneal cavity a potential space, and on the adjacent abdominal wall slide freely against one another.
Abdominal viscera are either intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal:
Intraperitoneal structures, such as elements of the gastrointestinal system, are suspended from the abdominal wall by mesenteries;