True ribs [Sternal ribs] - Horse - Osteology - Thorax - vet-Anatomy
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True ribs [Sternal ribs]

Costae verae [sternales]

  • Related terms: True ribs

Definition

Géraldine Lefeuvre, Andréa Lopes da Costa

The true ribs, also known as the sternal ribs, are the first pairs of ribs. They differ from the false ribs in that their costal cartilage articulates directly with the sternum.

The first pair articulates directly with the manubrium, the following pairs with the successive intersternal cartilages, with the exception of the last two pairs, whose cartilage articulates with the cartilage between the seventh sternebra and the xiphoid process.

Variation:

  • In dogs and cats, there are 9 pairs of sternal ribs;

  • In horses, there are 8 pairs of sternal ribs;

  • In cattle, there are 8 pairs of sternal ribs.

Is this definition incorrect or incomplete?

References

  • Evans HE, de Lahunta A. Miller’s Anatomy of the Dog. 5th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier; 2013. Chapter 4, The skeleton; p. 80–157.

  • Barone R. Anatomie comparée des mammifères domestiques, Tome 1, Ostéologie, 5th edition, Vigot, Paris, 2017.

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