Final answer:
Thoracic vertebrae have a heart-shaped body with costal facets for rib attachment and long spinous processes that angle downward.
Step-by-step explanation:
The thoracic vertebrae are characterized by a heart-shaped body and have specific features such as long spinous processes that angle downward and costal facets for rib attachment. Unlike the thoracic vertebrae, cervical vertebrae usually have a smaller body and a bifid spinous process, lumbar vertebrae support a greater amount of body weight and thus have larger, thick bodies, and the sacral vertebrae are part of the fused sacrum. The thoracic vertebrae's superior articular processes face anteriorly while the inferior processes face posteriorly, which are orientations crucial for determining the types and range of movements available to the thoracic region of the vertebral column.