Editing Cervical vertebrae (section)

{{short description|Vertebrae of the neck}}
{{Infobox bone
| Name        = Cervical vertebrae
| Latin       = vertebrae cervicales
| Image       = Cervical vertebrae lateral2.png
| Caption     = Position of human cervical vertebrae (shown in red). It consists of 7 bones, from top to bottom, [[Atlas (anatomy)|C1]], [[Axis (anatomy)|C2]], C3, C4, C5, C6, and C7.
| Image2      = Cervical_vertebra_english.png
| Caption2    = A human cervical vertebra
}}

In [[tetrapod]]s, '''cervical vertebrae''' ({{singular}}: '''vertebra''') are the [[vertebra]]e of the [[neck]], immediately below the [[skull]]. Truncal vertebrae (divided into [[thoracic vertebrae|thoracic]] and [[lumbar vertebrae]] in [[mammal]]s) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schilling |first1=N |title=Evolution of the axial system in craniates: morphology and function of the perivertebral musculature. |journal=Frontiers in Zoology |date=10 February 2011 |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=3–4 |doi=10.1186/1742-9994-8-4 |pmid=21306656 |pmc=3041741 |doi-access=free }}</ref> In [[sauropsida|sauropsid]] species, the cervical vertebrae bear [[cervical rib]]s. In [[lizard]]s and [[saurischia]]n dinosaurs, the cervical ribs are large; in [[bird]]s, they are small and completely fused to the vertebrae. The vertebral transverse processes of mammals are homologous to the cervical ribs of other [[amniote]]s.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} Most mammals have seven cervical vertebrae, with the only three known exceptions being the [[manatee]] with six, the [[two-toed sloth]] with five or six, and the [[three-toed sloth]] with nine.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1186/2041-9139-2-11 |pmid=21548920 |pmc=3120709 |title=Breaking evolutionary and pleiotropic constraints in mammals: On sloths, manatees and homeotic mutations |journal= EvoDevo|volume=2 |pages=11 |year=2011 |last1=Varela-Lasheras |first1=Irma |last2=Bakker |first2=Alexander J |last3=Van Der Mije |first3=Steven D |last4=Metz |first4=Johan AJ |last5=Van Alphen |first5=Joris |last6=Galis |first6=Frietson |doi-access=free }}
*{{cite press release |date=May 6, 2011 |title=Sticking their necks out for evolution: Why sloths and manatees have unusually long (or short) necks |website=ScienceDaily |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505212314.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Why do almost all mammals have seven cervical vertebrae? Developmental constraints, ''Hox'' genes, and cancer |journal=J. Exp. Zool.|volume=285 |pages=19–26 |year=1999|last=Galis|first=Frietson|issue=1|doi=10.1002/(SICI)1097-010X(19990415)285:1<19::AID-JEZ3>3.0.CO;2-Z|pmid=10327647|bibcode=1999JEZ...285...19G }}</ref> 

In humans, cervical vertebrae are the smallest of the true vertebrae and can be readily distinguished from those of the thoracic or lumbar regions by the presence of a [[transverse foramen]], an [[foramen|opening]] in each transverse process, through which the [[vertebral artery]], [[vertebral veins]], and [[inferior cervical ganglion]] pass. The remainder of this article focuses on [[human anatomy]].