Were you aware that there are extra ribs in humans, well at least some humans? This really is sectacular, but no need for concern if you are one of the few blessed with this additional set of ribs.
Time for a simple counting game. It’s time to count your ribs. It’s simple to do, unless you are excessively overweight that is, and it might bring a surprise to some. If you are one of the special few you would have counted 26 ribs, thirteen on each side. What’s so special about this number? Keep reading to find out.
Extra ribs in humans, how many do most people have?
If you just counted your ribs and found that you have 26 of them you are a one in five hundred event. Most people are born with 24 ribs, a dozen on each side of the rib cage. But if you have more you’re a rarity. The extra ribs in humans are known as cervical ribs, or neck ribs. They usually appear, as one of the common names suggest, near the neck. They are caused by a congenital abnormality. But if you thought that extra ribs in humans was freaky, it gets even weirder.
In some extremely rare cases a few people have been known to have 2 extra cervical ribs, for a total of 28, or 14 on each side of the chest.
If you have an extra rib we would love to hear from you below in the comments.
