Rib

:This article is about the bones called ribs. For other meanings, see rib (disambiguation).

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In anatomy, ribs (Latin costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. Ribs surround the chest (Latin thorax) of land vertebrates, and protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thoracic cavity.

Related Topics:
Anatomy - Latin - Bone - Chest - Thorax - Vertebrate - Lung - Heart - Organ - Thoracic cavity

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In mammals, one generally thinks of ribs only occurring 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 vertebrae and this can easily be seen in the herring, although not all fish have this many.

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