The neck vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae (C3–C7) · vertebrae cervicales
The small, mobile bones of the neck that hold up your head and let it turn and nod.
What it does
Your neck has seven vertebrae. The lower five shown here are small and light, built for movement more than load. Each has a hole on either side for an artery that climbs to the brain, and together they protect the spinal cord as it leaves the skull.
Surprising fact
Almost all mammals have seven neck vertebrae, so a giraffe's neck and a mouse's neck have the same number of bones as yours.
Why it matters
Your head weighs about as much as a bowling ball, and looking down at a phone makes these bones and their muscles work harder. Good posture spreads that load more evenly.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.