<P> At birth the majority of humans have 33 separate vertebrae . However, during normal development several vertebrae fuse together, leaving a total of 24, in most cases . The confusion about whether or not there are 32 - 34 vertebrae stems from the fact that the two lowest vertebrae, the sacrum and the coccyx, are single bones made up of several smaller bones which have fused together . This is how the vertebrae are counted: 24 separate vertebrae and the sacrum, formed from 5 fused vertebrae and the coccyx, formed from 3 - 5 fused vertebrae . If you count the coccyx and sacrum each as one vertebra, then there are 26 vertebrae . If the fused vertebrae are all counted separately, then the total number of vertebrae comes to between 32 and 34 . </P> <P> The vertebral column consists of 5 parts . The most cranial (uppermost) part is made up by the cervical vertebrae (7), followed by thoracic (12), lumbar (5), sacral (4--5) and coccygeal vertebrae (3--4). </P> <P> Cervical vertebrae make up the junction between the vertebral column and the cranium . Sacral and coccygeal vertebras are fused and thus often called "sacral bone" or "coccygeal bone" as unit . The sacral bone makes up the junction between the vertebral column and the pelvic bones . </P> <P> The word "Axial" is taken from the word "axis" and refers to the fact that the bones are located close to or along the central "axis" of the body . </P>

The axial skeleton includes the skull vertebral column and thoracic cage