The vertebral column consists of a series of bones called vertebrae linked together to form a flexible column with the skull at one end and the tail at the other. It is joined to the spine by means of a flat, broad bone called a girdle and consists of one long upper bone, two long lower bones, several smaller bones in the wrist or ankle and five digits (see diagrams 6.1 18,19 and 20). Each of the four limbs is made to the same basic pattern. The rest of the skeleton of all these animals (except the fish) also has the same basic design with a skull that houses and protects the brain and sense organs and ribs that protect the heart and lungs and, in mammals, make breathing possible. the main bones of the fore and hind limbs, and their girdles and be able to identify them in a live cat, dog, or rabbitįish, frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals are called vertebrates, a name that comes from the bony column of vertebrae (the spine) that supports the body and head.

the difference between ‘true ribs’ and ‘floating ribs.

the basic structure of a vertebrae and the regions of the vertebral column.

After completing this section, you should know:

Flat bone anatomy