The human rib cage. The human rib cage, also known as the thoracic cage, is a bony and cartilaginous structure which surrounds the thoracic (chest cavity and supports the pectoral (Source: Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th ed. Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (or Gray's Anatomy as it has commonly been shortened is an English-language Human anatomy Textbook 1918. )

In vertebrate anatomy, ribs (Latin costae) are the long curved bones which form the ribcage. Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes Anatomy (from the Greek anatomia, from ana separate apart from and temnein, to cut up cut open is a branch of Biology that is the consideration Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Bones are rigid organs that form part of the Endoskeleton of Vertebrates They function to move support and protect the various organs of the body produce In most animals, ribs surround the chest (Latin thorax) and protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax. The chest is a part of the Anatomy of humans and various other animals sometimes referred to as the Thorax. The thorax is a division of an Animal 's body that lies between the head and the Abdomen. lung is the essential Respiration organ in air-breathing Animals including most Tetrapods a few Fish and a few Snails The most primitive The heart is a muscular organ in all Vertebrates responsible for pumping Blood through the Blood vessels by repeated rhythmic In Biology, an organ ( Latin: organum, "instrument tool" from Greek όργανον - organon "organ instrument In some animals, especially snakes, ribs may provide support and protection for the entire body. A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales.

Human anatomy

Main article: Human rib cage

X-ray image of human chest, with ribs labeled. The human rib cage, also known as the thoracic cage, is a bony and cartilaginous structure which surrounds the thoracic (chest cavity and supports the pectoral X-radiation (composed of X-rays) is a form of Electromagnetic radiation.

Human beings have 24 ribs (12 pairs). The first seven sets of ribs have their own individual cartilage connections with the sternum. Cartilage is a type of dense Connective tissue. It is composed of specialized cells called chondrocytes that produce a large amount of extracellular matrix The sternum (from Greek στέρνον sternon, "chest" or breastbone) is a long flat Bone located in the center of the thorax (chest The following three sets are known as "false ribs", these share a common cartilaginous connection to the sternum, while the last two (eleventh and twelfth ribs) are termed floating ribs (costae fluitantes) or vertebral ribs. The false ribs are the five sets of Ribs below the top seven True ribs. Floating ribs are four Atypical ribs (two lowermost pairs XI-XII in the Human Ribcage. They are attached to the vertebrae only, and not to the sternum or cartilage coming off of the sternum. Some people are missing one of the two pairs of floating ribs, while others have a third pair. Rib removal is the surgical excision of ribs for therapeutic or cosmetic reasons. Rib Removal is a Surgical operation where usually the lowest Ribs are removed to make the Waist thinner

The ribcage is separated from the lower abdomen by the thoracic diaphragm which controls breathing. For other types of diaphragm see Diaphragm. In the Anatomy of Mammals the thoracic diaphragm is a sheet of Muscle When the diaphragm contracts, the ribcage and thoracic cavity are expanded, reducing intra-thoracic pressure and drawing air into the lungs.

In other animals

In mammals, one generally thinks of ribs occurring only in the chest. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The chest is a part of the Anatomy of humans and various other animals sometimes referred to as the Thorax. However, during the development of mammalian embryos, fused-on remnants of ribs can be traced in neck vertebrae (cervical ribs) and sacral vertebrae. The neck is the part of the Body on many limbed Vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the Torso or trunk A cervical rib is a supernumerary (or extra Rib which arises from the seventh Cervical vertebra. The sacrum is a large triangular bone at the base of the spine and at the upper and back part of the Pelvic cavity, where it is inserted like a wedge between

In reptiles, ribs sometimes occur in all vertebrae from the neck to the sacrum. Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers

The ribs of turtles are developed into a bony or cartilagenous carapace and plastron. Turtles are Reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the Crown group Chelonia) most of A carapace is a dorsal section of an Exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups The plastron is the nearly flat part of the shell structure of a Turtle or Tortoise, what one would call the belly similar in composition to the Carapace

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. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Herring are small Oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow temperate waters of the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North

Additional images

Human ribs

See also

• Bone terminology
• Terms for anatomical location
• Ribs (food)

References

• Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 4th ed. Bones are rigid organs that form part of the Endoskeleton of Vertebrates They function to move support and protect the various organs of the body produce In fields of Anatomy, anatomical terms of location are descriptive terms to help identify relative positions or directions within a species Ribs of Beef, Lamb, Venison, and Pork are a cut of Meat. The term ribs usually refers to the less meaty part of the Keith L. Moore and Robert F. Dalley. pp. 62-64