However, they do not attach directly to the sternum anteriorly, and instead, attach to the costal cartilage of the preceding (superior) rib, except for false ribs 11-12, which are the floating ribs. Like the true ribs, these false ribs articulate with thoracic vertebrae posteriorly. The false ribs include rib pairs 8-12.Because the true ribs attach to both the thoracic vertebrae and the sternum, anatomists sometimes splice those terms together and call the true ribs “the vertebrosternal ribs.”

The true ribs include rib pairs 1-7, with each rib articulating posteriorly to the thoracic vertebrae and anteriorly to the sternum via costal cartilages.

The average skeleton contains 24 individual ribs, formed in 12 pairs, and they are divided into three main categories: true ribs, false ribs, and floating ribs. Together with the sternum, thoracic vertebrae, and costal cartilages, the ribs form the thoracic cage, also called the bony thorax. Instead, anatomists classify the ribs as flat bones, and they are located within the axial skeleton. The central hollow portion in the body through which the spinal cord passes is called the vertebral column which is differentiated into cervical(7), thoracic(12), lumbar(5), sacral(1-fused), and coccygeal(1-fused).Don’t be fooled their long, curved shape! Rib bones are not classified as long bones.

The last five pairs of ribs that are not attached to the sternum directly are called false ribs. The last two pairs i.e, 11th and 12th pairs of the ribs are not connected ventrally either to the sternum or the anterior ribs, hence they are called floating ribs. They join the cartilaginous parts of the 7th rib. The remaining three pairs of ribs are called false ribs i.e, 8th, 9th, and 10th pairs of ribs because they do not directly articulate with the sternum. With the help of hyaline cartilage, the ribs are connected to the thoracic vertebrae dorsally and to the sternum ventrally. Among those 12 pairs of ribs, the first seven pairs of ribs are called true ribs. They are called so because they contain two articulation surfaces at their dorsal end. Bicephalic ribs are found in the human body. In the human chest, there are 12 pairs of ribs present and each rib is like a thin flat bone that is connected to the vertebral column dorsally and to the sternum ventrally. Hint: Thin flat bones that are connected to the vertebral column and sternum on the dorsal and ventral side respectively whose number is one pair less equals to the number of vertebrae of the vertebral column.

Are ribs a flat bone