Presented herein are systems and methods that allow for vertebral centrums of individual vertebrae to be identified and segmented within a 3D image of a subject (e.g., a CT or microCT image). In certain embodiments, the approaches described herein identify, within a graphical representation of an individual vertebra in a 3D image of a subject, multiple discrete and differentiable regions, one of which corresponds to a vertebral centrum of the individual vertebra. The region corresponding to the vertebral centrum may be automatically or manually (e.g., via a user interaction) classified as such. Identifying vertebral centrums in this manner facilitates streamlined quantitative analysis of 3D images for osteological research, notably, providing a basis for rapid and consistent evaluation of vertebral centrum morphometric attributes.