Which cavity runs within the bony vertebral column and encloses the spinal cord?

Which cavity runs within the bony vertebral column and encloses the spinal cord?

• A. Vertebral or spinal cavity
• B. Dorsal body cavity
• C. Thoracic cavity
• D. Pleural cavity

Answer: (A)

Think about where the spinal cord runs. It travels inside a bony tunnel formed by the vertebrae called the vertebral canal. That space is the vertebral (spinal) cavity, a part of the dorsal body cavity. It protects and houses the spinal cord much like the cranial cavity houses the brain. The thoracic and pleural cavities are in the chest and hold things like the heart and lungs, not the spinal cord. So the cavity that encloses the spinal cord as it travels along the spine is the vertebral or spinal cavity.

Think about where the spinal cord runs. It travels inside a bony tunnel formed by the vertebrae called the vertebral canal. That space is the vertebral (spinal) cavity, a part of the dorsal body cavity. It protects and houses the spinal cord much like the cranial cavity houses the brain. The thoracic and pleural cavities are in the chest and hold things like the heart and lungs, not the spinal cord. So the cavity that encloses the spinal cord as it travels along the spine is the vertebral or spinal cavity.