In human body, what is the number of cervical vertebrae?

The human vertebral column is divided into five distinct regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal. The cervical region, which forms the neck, consists of exactly seven vertebrae, designated C1 through C7 [t1][t3]. The first two cervical vertebrae are specialized: C1 is known as the atlas, which supports the skull, and C2 is the axis, which allows for head rotation [t1][t6]. While the thoracic region contains 12 vertebrae and the lumbar region contains 5, the count of 7 cervical vertebrae is a highly conserved anatomical feature in almost all mammals, regardless of their neck length [t4]. These vertebrae support the weight of the head and provide the greatest range of motion in the spinal column [t3][t8]. Therefore, the correct number of cervical vertebrae in the human body is 7.

Sources

1. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539734/