What is the coccyx?

The coccyx is the last part of the spinal column of man and consists of four nodules of bone-like small vertebrae and corresponds to the tail found in lower animals.

The bones are deeply buried in muscle tissue, but sometimes they just backwards and are surrounded by a fold of skin so as to form an actual tail.

The name coccyx was given by the Greek physician Galen (130-200 AD) and comes from the Greek word for cuckoo, as the bone more or less resembles a cuckoo’s bill.