
The skeleton, composed of bones,
cartilages, joints, and ligaments, accounts
for about 20% of body mass.

There are 206 bones in the human body.

The axial
skeleton forms
the long axis of
the body and
includes the
bones of the
skull, vertebral
column, and rib
cage.
 There are 80
bones in the
axial skeleton.

The Appendicular
skeleton consists of
the bones of the
upper and lower
limbs, and the
shoulder bones and
hip bones.
 There are 126 bones
in the Appendicular
Skeleton.
The skull consists of two sets of bones – the
cranium and the facial bones. There are
eight cranial bones and fourteen facial
bones.
 The joints between bones of the skull are
immovable and called sutures.

•The SPHENOID BONE- acts like a bridge
between the cranial & facial bones

Only the mandible is attached by a freely
movable joint.
 The hyoid bone is the only bone in the body
that does not articulate (match up with)
another bone. The hyoid bone acts as an
attachment point for several muscles that
help with speech and swallowing. The
hyoid bone is attached to the skull by
ligaments.
The vertebral column consists
of vertebrae separated by disks
of fibro-cartilage.

7 cervical vertebrae
 12 thoracic vertebrae
 5 lumbar vertebrae
The bony thorax forms a cage
to protect major organs
SPINAL
(VERTEBRAL)
COLUMN
The spinal column
(or vertebral column)
extends from the
skull to the pelvis
and is made up of 33
individual bones
termed vertebrae.
The bony thorax is made up of three parts:
1)Sternum
2)Ribs
3)Thoracic vertebrae
You have three different types of ribs
 True ribs are the first seven pairs of ribs. True
ribs attach directly to the sternum by costal
cartilages.
 False ribs are the next five pairs. They either
attach indirectly to the sternum or not at all.
 Floating ribs are the last two pairs of false ribs.
They lack sternal attachments.
The 3 parts of the appendicular skeleton are:
1)Limbs (appendages)
2)Pectoral girdle (shoulder)
3)Pelvic girdle (pelvis)
The pectoral girdle (or shoulder) is composed
of two bones
1)Clavicle – collarbone
2)Scapula – Shoulder blade

The clavicle and the scapula allow the upper
limbs to have free movement

The arm is formed from a single bone, the
humerus.
 The forearm has two bones: the ulna and
radius

The hand contains three types
of bones:
1)Carpals – wrists
2)Metacarpals – palm
3)Phalanges - fingers

The thigh has one bone – the femur.

The lower leg has two bones – the tibia and
fibula.
The foot has three types of bones:
1)Tarsals – ankle
2)Metatarsals – sole
3)Phalanges - toes
The pelvic girdle is made up of the hip bones.
The “hip bones” are composed of three pair of fused
bones – the ilium, ischium, and pubic bone.

The total weight of the upper body rests on
the pelvis.
 The pelvic girdle protects several organs –
the reproductive organs, the urinary bladder,
and part of the large intestine.