How many vertebrae are there in the human neck?
Cervical vertebrae are small and completely fused to the vertebrae. The vertebral transverse processes of mammals are homologous to the cervical ribs of other amniotes. Most mammals have 7 cervical vertebrae. In humans, cervical vertebrae are the smallest of the true vertebrae, and can be readily distinguished from those of the thoracic or lumbar regions by the presence of a foramen (hole) in each transverse process, through which the vertebral artery, vertebral veins and inferior cervical ganglion passes. The remainder of this article focuses upon human anatomy. By convention, the cervical vertebrae are numbered, with the first one (C1) closest to the
Cervical vertebrae as a marker of human anatomy. This includes: Cervical vertebrae In vertebrates, cervical vertebrae (singular: "vertebra") are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Thoracic vertebrae in all mammalian species are those vertebrae that also carry a pair of ribs, and lie caudal to the cervical vertebrae. Further caudally follow the lumbar vertebrae, which also belong to the trunk, but do not carry ribs. In reptiles, all trunk vertebrae carry ribs and are called dorsal vertebrae. In many species, though not in mammals, the cervical vertebrae bear ribs. In many other groups, such as lizards and saurischian dinosaurs,