Where it is
The vertebral column above the thorax, from the withers to the last rib.
- Layer
- Skeleton
- System
- Axial skeleton
- Region
- Vertebral column
What it is and what it does
The thirteen thoracic vertebrae each carry a pair of ribs. Their spinous processes, the upward projections, are tallest at the first vertebrae and form the withers together with the edges of the scapulae. Toward the rear, the processes get shorter and the back becomes more flexible.
Worth remembering
Their upward projections, tall at the first vertebrae, form the withers together with the edges of the shoulder blades.
Names
- Also called: chest vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae.
- Latin term: vertebrae thoracicae.
- In Romanian: Vertebrele toracale (Romanian page).