Rib
In
anatomy, ribs are the long curved
bones which form the rib cage. Ribs surround the
chest of land
vertebrates, and protect the
lungs,
heart, and other internal organs of the
thoracic cavity.
In mammals, one generally thinks of ribs occurring only in the
chest. However, fused-on remnants of ribs can be traced in development in
neck vertebrae and sacral vertebrae.
In
reptiles, ribs sometimes occur in all vertebrae from the neck to the sacrum.
Fish can have up to four ribs on each vertebra and this can easily be seen in the
herring, although not all fish have this many.
Encyclopedia
In
anatomy,
ribs are the long curved
bones which form the
rib cage. Ribs surround the
chest of land
vertebrates, and protect the
lungs,
heart, and other internal organs of the
thoracic cavity.
In mammals, one generally thinks of ribs occurring only in the
chest. However, fused-on remnants of ribs can be traced in development in
neck vertebrae and sacral vertebrae.
In
reptiles, ribs sometimes occur in all vertebrae from the neck to the sacrum.
Fish can have up to four ribs on each vertebra and this can easily be seen in the
herring, although not all fish have this many.
Humans have 24 ribs . This was noted by the Flemish
anatomist Vesalius in 1543 setting off a wave of controversy.
See also
References
- Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 4th ed. Keith L. Moore and Robert F. Dalley. pp. 62-64
