FACT
A few interesting
facts about the
human skeleton:
- Humans
have seven
neck bones -
the same as
giraffes. - The strongest
and longest
bone is the
thigh bone
(the femur). - One out of
20 people
have an extra
rib.
us that in both the upper and lower halves there are 2 incisors, 1 canine, 2 premolars and 3
molars.The human vertebral columnThe vertebral column typically consists of 24 articulating vertebrae and 9 fused vertebrae in
the sacrum and the coccyx. Between the vertebrae arediscs of fibrocartilagewhich prevent
friction between vertebrae and act as shock absorbers during walking, running and jumping.
Spinal nervesare able to enter and leave the spinal cord through gaps between adjacent
vertebrae.Strong ligaments and musclesaround the spine stabilise the vertebrae and help
to control movement. The vertebrae join up to each other in such a way that there is a
continuousspinal canalwhich runs from the base of the skull to the pelvic girdle. This canal
contains thespinal cord. The entire vertebral canal can be divided into five regions.- Cervical region
- Thoracic region
- Lumbar region
- Sacral region
- Coccyx
Figure 7.7: Human vertebral column.Thecervical(neck) region consists of 7 vertebrae. The first cervical vertebra, called theatlas,
supports the skull and allows for the nodding movement of the head. The second vertebra,
called theaxis, has a projection on which the atlas pivots to give the side to side movement
of the head.198 7.3. Human skeleton