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neck
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Illustration of the human head and neck skeletal system in profile, showing labeled bones and structures such as the skull, mandible, hyoid bone, cervical vertebrae, and first rib, along with key ligaments and cartilage. Anatomical illustration of the front of the human neck showing labeled veins in blue and nerves in yellow, including the facial, jugular, and transverse cervical veins, as well as the great auricular and supraclavicular nerves. cutaneous nerves of the head and neck Illustration of the human neck showing labeled muscles, arteries, veins, and bones, including the sternocleidomastoid, digastric, mylohyoid, trapezius, carotid artery, jugular vein, clavicle, and thyroid cartilage.
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Illustration of the human head and neck skeletal system in profile, showing labeled bones and structures such as the skull, mandible, hyoid bone, cervical vertebrae, and first rib, along with key ligaments and cartilage.
human skull and neck Bony framework of the human head and neck.

neck

anatomy
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•History

News •

Scientists discover that necks didn't evolve for the reason we thought • Nov. 11, 2026, 7:11 PM ET (Science Daily)
Anatomical illustration of the front of the human neck showing labeled veins in blue and nerves in yellow, including the facial, jugular, and transverse cervical veins, as well as the great auricular and supraclavicular nerves.
veins and nerves of the neckVeins and nerves of the human neck.

neck, in land vertebrates, the portion of the body joining the head to the shoulders and chest. Some important structures contained in or passing through the neck include the seven cervical vertebrae and enclosed spinal cord, the jugular veins and carotid arteries, part of the esophagus, the larynx and vocal cords, and the sternocleidomastoid and hyoid muscles in front and the trapezius and other nuchal muscles behind. Among the primates, humans are characterized by having a relatively long neck.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.