it sometimes depends on the person, but there are roughly 33 in the average person
it also depends what you count as vertabrae, as some people might tell you just 24
Individual vertebrae named according to region and position, from superior to inferior
- Cervical - 7 vertebrae (C1-C7)
- C1 is known as "atlas" and supports the head, C2 is known as "axis"
- Possesses bifid spinous processes, which is absent in C7
- Small-bodied
- Thoracic - 12 vertebrae (T1-T12)
- Distinguished by the presence of coastal facets for the articulation of the heads of ribs
- Body is intermediate in size between the cervical and lumbar vertebrae
- Lumbar - 5 vertebrae (L1-L5)
- Has a large body
- Does not have coastal facets nor transverse process foramina
- Sacral - 5 (fused) vertebrae (S1-S5)
- Coccygeal - 4 (3-5) (fused) vertebrae (Tailbone)
