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Each vertebra (pl.: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal segment and the particular species. The basic configuration of a vertebra varies; the bone is the ...
The vertebral column, also known as the spinal column, spine or backbone, is the core part of the axial skeleton in vertebrate animals.The vertebral column is the defining and eponymous characteristic of the vertebrate endoskeleton, where the notochord (an elastic collagen-wrapped glycoprotein rod) found in all chordates has been replaced by a segmented series of mineralized irregular bones ...
All vertebrates are built along the basic chordate body plan: a rigid axial endoskeleton (vertebral column and/or notochord) running along the length of the animal, [13] dorsal to the gut tube, with a hollow dorsal nerve cord (the neural tube, which develops into the brain and spinal cord) running more dorsal to it.
In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (sg.: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. [ 1 ] In sauropsid species, the cervical vertebrae bear cervical ribs. In lizards and saurischian dinosaurs ...
The lumbar vertebrae are located between the thoracic vertebrae and pelvis. They form the lower part of the human back in humans, and the tail end of the back in quadrupeds. In humans, there are five lumbar vertebrae. The term is used to describe the anatomy of humans and quadrupeds, such as horses, pigs, or cattle.
As the spinal cord terminates at the L1–L2 level, other segments of the spinal cord would be positioned superior to their corresponding bony vertebral body. For example, the T11 spinal segment is located higher than the T11 bony vertebra, and the sacral spinal cord segment is higher than the L1 vertebral body. [8]
Intervertebral disc. An intervertebral disc (or intervertebral fibrocartilage) lies between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column. Each disc forms a fibrocartilaginous joint (a symphysis), to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, to act as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together, and to function as a shock absorber for the spine.
The facet joint is the joint between the inferior articular process (labeled at bottom) and the superior articular process (labeled at top) of the subsequent vertebra. The facet joints (also zygapophysial joints, zygapophyseal, apophyseal, or Z-joints) are a set of synovial, plane joints between the articular processes of two adjacent vertebrae.