What is the second vertebra called?
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The second vertebra of the neck is called the axis. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as the second cervical vertebra.
Summary
The second vertebra of the neck is called the axis. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as the second cervical vertebra.
What it is
- The second cervical vertebra.
- Has a peg-like process called the dens (odontoid process) rising from its body.
- The dens serves as the pivot around which the atlas \u2014 and with it the skull \u2014 rotates.
Where it is
- Directly below the atlas.
- Above the third cervical vertebra.
- Its dens projects up into the ring of the atlas.
Sources
According to Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918, public domain):
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