Vertebrates Pins and Buttons
Description: A dark-themed evolutionary tree diagram illustrating the progression of vertebrates and phertebrates. It features silhouettes of frogs, snakes, turtles, crocodiles, and birds at the top, branching from a central tree structure. Text indicates '310 MILLION YEARS AGO' at the base, 'THE EGG' within an oval, and '50 THE CHICKEN YEARS AGO' near a chicken silhouette.
Description: The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavity, such as the heart, lungs and great vessels and support the shoulder girdle to form the core part of the axial skeleton. A typical human thoracic cage consists of 12 pairs of ribs and the adjoining costal cartilages, the sternum (along with the manubrium and xiphoid process), and the 12 thoracic vertebrae articulating with the ribs. The thoracic cage also provides attachments for extrinsic skeletal muscles of the neck, upper limbs, upper abdomen and back, and together with the overlying skin and associated fascia and muscles.
