Where it is
The skeleton of the tail.
- Layer
- Skeleton
- System
- Axial skeleton
- Region
- Vertebral column
What it is and what it does
The caudal vertebrae form the skeleton of the tail: usually between twenty and twenty-three, getting smaller toward the tip, where they become simple bony nodules. The number differs between dogs. The first tail vertebrae still have processes and a vertebral canal; the last ones are just vertebral bodies.
Worth remembering
The first tail vertebrae still have projections and a canal for the nerves; the last ones are just bodies of bone.
Names
- Also called: tail vertebrae, coccygeal vertebrae.
- Latin term: vertebrae caudales.
- In Romanian: Vertebrele caudale (Romanian page).