Redirect 3.5% of your income tax to support us!

The interactive dog atlas · Skeleton · Vertebral column

Cervical vertebrae vertebrae cervicales

The cervical vertebrae are the bones of the spine in the neck: seven in all breeds. They carry the head, and the neck muscles attach to them.

Open in the interactive atlas Guide: Skeleton Worksheet

Educational material, not a diagnostic tool. Written by the Mantrailing România team from veterinary sources we read. Updated 14.11.2026.

Dog in left lateral view — exterior, muscles, skeleton and organs Vector study after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates: a standing dog, head to the left, deep chest and digitigrade limbs. The four layers use the same contour: exterior with body regions, superficial muscles, skeleton and organs.
  1. Cervical vertebrae
  2. Skull
  3. Thoracic vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae on the atlas drawing, "Skeleton" layer, with the neighbouring structures. Left lateral view, after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates.

Where it is

The vertebral column in the neck region.

System
Axial skeleton
Region
Vertebral column

What it is and what it does

The cervical spine has seven vertebrae, in all breeds, from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane. The first two, the atlas and the axis, have special shapes and allow the "yes" and "no" movements of the head. The cervical vertebrae carry the head and are the attachment point of the neck muscles.

The dog's vertebral formula: 7 cervical, 13 thoracic, 7 lumbar, 3 sacral and 20-23 caudal; about 4.5% of dogs have an extra lumbar vertebra or a transitional vertebra.

Worth remembering

The first two, the atlas and the axis, have special shapes and allow the "yes" and "no" movements of the head.

Names

  • Also called: neck vertebrae.
  • Latin term: vertebrae cervicales.
  • In Romanian: Vertebrele cervicale (Romanian page).

In the atlas lessons

The skeleton, from skull to tail (5 min):

The spine: 7 cervical vertebrae, 13 thoracic, 7 lumbar, 3 fused sacral and 20-23 caudal. The number can vary between individuals.

Guides it appears in

From the same region: Vertebral column

All structures, in the atlas · Flashcards: skeleton