Rib

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This article is about the bones called ribs. For other meanings, see rib (disambiguation).

The human rib cage. (Source: Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th ed. 1918.)

Anterior surface of sternum and costal cartilages.

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In anatomy, ribs (Latin costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. Ribs surround the chest (Latin thorax) of land vertebrates, and protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thoracic cavity. In entomology the costa refers to the vein on the leading edge of the wing (See Glossary of Lepidopteran terms) In mammals, one generally thinks of ribs occurring only in the chest. However, fused-on remnants of ribs can be traced in development in neck vertebrae (cervical ribs) and sacral vertebrae.

In reptiles, ribs sometimes occur in all vertebrae from the neck to the sacrum.

Fish can have up to four ribs on each vertebra and this can easily be seen in the herring, although not all fish have this many.

Human beings, both male and female, have 24 ribs (12 sets). This was noted by the Flemish anatomist Vesalius in 1543 (De Humani Corporis Fabrica [1]) setting off a wave of controversy, since it was assumed based on the story of Adam and Eve, that men's ribs would number one fewer than women's.