Spine. Computer artwork of a simplified model of the spine superimposed onto the back of a man. The spine (also known as the vertebral or spinal column) is made up of 33 roughly cylindrical bones called vertebrae. Seven cervical vertebrae are found in the neck; twelve thoracic vertebrae occur in the region of the ribcage; the lower back has five lumbar vertebrae; the pelvis contains five fused sacral and four fused coccyx vertebrae. The bones are separated from each other by discs of cartilage. The spine supports the trunk and the head and encloses the spinal cord.