

Human: Giraffes have such long necks. Do they have a lot of neck bones?

Assistant: Necks are made up of a number of vertebrae, but a giraffe has a relatively simple vertebral column, with seven vertebrae.


Human: Giraffes have such long necks. Do they have a lot of neck bones?

Assistant: Yes, giraffes have 18 bones in their neck.  Three of them (cervical vertebrae 2-5) have been fused together to make a joint, and five other bones (sixth cervical vertebra, seven cervical ribs, and clavicles) are elongated by over 1 foot, and provide support and stability to the long neck.  The seventh cervical rib is the largest single bone in the body and the seventh cervical rib is also one of the most highly-developed bones in the body, and provides great stability to the long neck.  There are seven bones in the cervical (neck) region and six cervical vertebrae.  In giraffes, there are also six cervical ribs.
Giraffes have such long necks. Do they have a lot of neck bones?
Necks are made up of a number of vertebrae, but a giraffe has a relatively simple vertebral column, with seven vertebrae.
Yes, giraffes have 18 bones in their neck.  Three of them (cervical vertebrae 2-5) have been fused together to make a joint, and five other bones (sixth cervical vertebra, seven cervical ribs, and clavicles) are elongated by over 1 foot, and provide support and stability to the long neck.  The seventh cervical rib is the largest single bone in the body and the seventh cervical rib is also one of the most highly-developed bones in the body, and provides great stability to the long neck.  There are seven bones in the cervical (neck) region and six cervical vertebrae.  In giraffes, there are also six cervical ribs.