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In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae, and the ribs. It extends from the neck to the diaphragm, and does not include the upper limbs. The heart and the lungs reside in the thoracic cavity, as well as many blood vessels. The inner organs are protected by the rib cage and the sternum
The thoracic diaphragm, or simply the diaphragm (/ ˈ d aɪ ə f r æ m /; [1] Ancient Greek: διάφραγμα, romanized: diáphragma, lit. 'partition'), is a sheet of internal skeletal muscle [2] in humans and other mammals that extends across the bottom of the thoracic cavity.
The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the chamber of the body of vertebrates that is protected by the thoracic wall (rib cage and associated skin, muscle, and fascia). The central compartment of the thoracic cavity is the mediastinum .
In other animals the number of thoracic vertebrae can vary greatly; [2] for example, most marsupials have 13, but koalas have only 11. [3] 12 to 15 is common among mammals, with 18 to 20 in horses, tapirs, rhinoceroses, and elephants, and extremes in mammals are marked by certain sloths with 25 and cetaceans with 9. [4]
This is an upwardly domed sheet of muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity. When it contracts, the sheet flattens, (i.e. moves downwards as shown in Fig. 7) increasing the volume of the thoracic cavity in the antero-posterior axis. The contracting diaphragm pushes the abdominal organs downwards.
The trachea begins at the lower edge of the cricoid cartilage of the larynx [3] at the level of sixth cervical vertebra (C6) [2] and ends at the carina, the point where the trachea branches into left and right main bronchi., [2] at the level of the fourth thoracic vertebra (T4), [2] although its position may change with breathing. [3]
Mammal lung is one of the main types of offal, or pluck, alongside the heart and trachea, and is consumed as a foodstuff around the world in dishes such as Scottish haggis. The United States Food and Drug Administration legally prohibits the sale of animal lungs due to concerns such as fungal spores or cross-contamination with other organs ...
The thoracic ribs of birds possess a wide projection to the rear; this uncinate process is an attachment for the shoulder muscles. [9] Usually dogs have 26 ribs. Mammals usually also only have distinct ribs on the thoracic vertebra, although fixed cervical ribs are also present in monotremes.