About the Human Skeleton

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How much do you know about the bones in your body?

The human skeleton is composed of 206 bones
Skeletal bones are supported by ligaments, tendons, muscles, fascias and cartilage.
The body is also composed of 2 bones sésamoïdes but are not part of the human skeleton by definition.

The skeleton evolves/moves with the age according to the development of the osseous structure.
The fetus does not have a solid skeleton yet, this will be formed gradually during the nine months of gestation.
With the birth, a baby has more bone than it will not have any at the adulthood (approximately 270). The difference comes from later fusion of small bones on the cranium, the spinal column and the basin.

The role of the skeleton is double. It constitutes at the same time the frame of the body, on which the muscles and other structures will be able to be fixed and it also provides a function of protection for certain organs, like those located in the rib cage (heart, lungs%u2026) or the brain, protected by the cranium.

The weight of the "dry" skeleton, i.e. without red marrow, is from 4 to 6 kilograms on average for the man and from 3 to 4 kilograms for the woman The longest bone of the body is the femur; smallest is the clamp which is located in the middle ear.

The majority of the body is outside the skeleton except for the brain which is inside the skeleton.

The skeleton belongs to the locomotion system.

Human Anatomy Coloring Book

Bones: Our Skeletal System

Skeleton Anatomy Model

Human Skeleton Facts


Skeletal System Anatomical Chart Laminated

Skeletal System Anatomical Chart Laminated



Learn all about bones with this easy-to-assemble skeleton puzzle. It sits on a display stand for clear viewing. Each bone can be assembled separately to learn the bone names individually. Includes facts and assembly instructions.

Learning Resources Human Skeleton Anatomy Model

Amazon Price: $14.38 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

* Human Skeleton Facts
* Each bone assembled separately to learn the bone names individually
* Includes 41-Piece plastic model, display stand and guide with skeleton facts

Hi, glad to meet you

The smallest bone of the human body is found in the ear, called the stirrup. It is not larger than a single grain of rice.

The Human Body: Skeletal System

The longest bone of the body is the femur bone or the thigh bone

The Human Body: Skeletal System (2nd Ed., Rev.) (clip)
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The ilium and spine protect the digestive and urogenital systems and the hip.

Fused bones include those of the pelvis and the cranium

The human skeleton consists of both fused and individual bones supported and supplemented by ligaments, tendons, muscles and cartilage. It serves as a scaffold which supports organs, anchors muscles, and protects organs such as the brain, lungs and heart.

The biggest bone in the body is the femur in the thigh and the smallest is the stapes bone in the middle ear. In an adult, the skeleton comprises around 30-40% of the total body weight, and half of this weight is water.

Fused bones include those of the pelvis and the cranium. Not all bones are interconnected directly: there are three bones in each middle ear called the ossicles that articulate only with each other. The hyoid bone, which is located in the neck and serves as the point of attachment for the tongue, does not articulate with any other bones in the body, being supported by muscles and ligaments.


read the rest of the Wikipedia article

Skeletal Links

The pelvis is made up of six bones that are joined to each other firmly

Space Bones
NASA science news about preventing the steady loss of bone mass that astronauts encounter. Includes audio and a downloadable file of the article.
Kidport 5th Grade Science: The Human Arm Bones
A clickable quiz of the human arm bones.
The Skeletal System
A 14-question interactive quiz.
Printable Blank Outline Diagram of the Human Skeleton
Blank diagram of the human skeletal system with answers at the bottom of the page.
The Online Skeleton
Features a PDF download of the human skeleton, with close-ups of each part, and an explanation of the way they are connected.
Skeletal System
Real photographs of the human skeletal system, including a quiz.

Quick Facts

There are 27 bones in the human hand and 14 bones make up your face.

When you were born, you had over 300 bones. When you're an adult, you have about 206. What happened? Did they fall off or something?

The average human adult skeleton
consists of 206 bones, attached to the muscles by tendons. Babies are born with 270 soft bones - about 64 more than an adult. These will fuse together by the age of twenty or twenty-five into the 206 hard, permanent bones

Most of your joints are free-moving joints called synovial joints. These allow you to bend, and jump, and stretch

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There are 26 bones in each of your feet, exactly the same number as in your hands.

The parts of an adult skeleton that have fused into one bone include the skull and the pelvis (see the skull). The pelvis came from fusing the ilium bones, the ischium bones and the pubis. The ischium is the bone that you sit down on.

Bones: Our Skeletal System

Anatomical Charts

The number of bones in your neck and the number of bones in a giraffe's neck is the same!

Anatomical charts are often sold in laminated form. Others may be made of durable plastic or even just paper. They are available in a full range of sizes, often depending on their intended use. Many charts are designed with white backgrounds to make pictures and text easy to view. Many feature print in bold black and red ink. Some anatomical charts are designed to be written on and wiped off with little difficulty or effort. Chart stands and displays are also sold to keep charts at the ready.

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Inflatable Parts of a Skeleton

Learning Resources - Inflatable Parts of a Skeleton

Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

* Life-size Inflatable Skeleton lets kids explore the human body through hands-on play.
* Features 15 major bones that connect and pull apart with snap fasteners.
* Includes hang tag and string for easy display and spaces for labeling on the reverse side if desired.
* Also comes with a repair kit and Activity Guide.
* Measures 4'H when assembled.

Axial skeleton and the Appendicular

Muscular System Anatomical Chart

Pages About other human systems

Excellent Resources

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Eyewitness Skeleton

Rich with photos and information, a treasure trove of info!


Skeleton (DK Eyewitness Books) [Hardcover]

Skeleton (DK Eyewitness Books) [Hardcover]



Eyewitness Skeleton brings its complexity and ingenuity of design vividly to life. Starting with the human skeleton, it explains how each set of bones functions. It examines in detail the construction of the skull, spine and rib cage, hands, arms, legs, and feet. Comparisons are drawn with the bones of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and mammals. See the 206 different bones in the human body, how your skull differs from a lion's or a chimp's, how teeth grow, and what each one is for, and what the inside of a bone looks like. Learn how bones mend themselves when they break, why half the bones in your body are in your hands and feet, how many toes a horse has and what has happened to the tail you once had. Discover which are the smallest bones in the human body, why some creatures wear their skeletons on the outside and what animal once owned the oldest bones ever found on Earth.

Skeleton (DK Eyewitness Books)

Amazon Price: $8.79 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

I would have loved having books like these when I was a kid. I currently have this book on my coffeetable. I like looking at the photos and illustrations and reading the information.

Human Skeleton Printables - Public Domain


Human skeleton back


Cranial bones (8):
* frontal bone
* parietal bone (2)
* temporal bone (2)
* occipital bone
* sphenoid bone
* ethmoid bone

Facial bones (14):
* mandible
* maxilla (2)
* palatine bone (2)
* zygomatic bone (2)
* nasal bone (2)
* lacrimal bone (2)
* vomer
* inferior nasal conchae (2)

In the middle ears (6)
* malleus (2)
* incus (2)
* stapes (2)

In the throat (1):
* hyoid bone

In the shoulder girdle (4):
* scapula or shoulder blade (2)
* clavicle or collarbone (2)

In the thorax (25):
* sternum (1)
Can be considered as three bones; manubrium, body of sternum (gladiolus), and xiphoid process
* ribs (2 x 12)

In the vertebral column (24):
* cervical vertebrae (7)
* thoracic vertebrae (12)
* lumbar vertebrae (5)

In the arms (2):
* Humerus (2)

In the forearms (4):
* radius (2)
* ulna (2)

In the hands (54):
* Carpal (wrist) bones:
scaphoid bone (2)
lunate bone (2)
triquetral bone (2)
pisiform bone (2)
trapezium (2)
trapezoid bone (2)
capitate bone (2)
hamate bone (2)
* Metacarpus (palm) bones:
metacarpal bones (5 × 2)
* Digits of the hands (finger bones or phalanges):
proximal phalanges (5 × 2)
intermediate phalanges (4 × 2)
distal phalanges (5 × 2)

In the pelvis (4):
* sacrum
* coccyx
* os coxae (innominate bone or hip bone) (2)

In the thighs (2)
* femur (2)

In the legs (6):
* patella (2)
* tibia (2)
* fibula (2)

In the feet (52):
* Tarsal (ankle) bones:
calcaneus (heel bone) (2)
talus (2)
navicular bone (2)
medial cuneiform bone (2)
intermediate cuneiform bone (2)
lateral cuneiform bone (2)
cuboid bone (2)
* Metatarsus bones:
metatarsal bone (5 × 2)
* Digits of the feet (toe bones or phalanges):
proximal phalanges (5 × 2)
intermediate phalanges (4 × 2)
distal phalanges (5 × 2)

Human Body: An Illustrated Guide to Every Part of the Human Body and How It Works

Human Body: An Illustrated Guide to Every Part of the Human Body and How It Works

Human Body is a concise guide to the structure, fu more...1 point

Basher: Human Body: A Book with Guts by Dan Green, Simon Basher

Basher: Human Body: A Book with Guts by Dan Green, Simon Basher

From the best-selling team that brought you The Periodic more...1 point

The Art of Expressing the Human Body by Bruce Lee, John Little

The Art of Expressing the Human Body by Bruce Lee, John Little

Beyond his martial arts and acting abilities, Bruc more...1 point

Vander's Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function (Human Physiology (Vander)) by Eric Widmaier, Hershel Raff, Kevin Strang

Vander's Human Physiology: The Mechanisms of Body Function (Human Physiology (Vander)) by Eric Widmaier, Hershel Raff, Kevin Strang

Eric Widmaier (Boston University), Hershel Raff (Medical more...1 point

Memmler's The Human Body in Health and Disease (Memmler'sthe Human Body in Health & Disease) by Barbara Janson Cohen

Memmler's The Human Body in Health and Disease (Memmler'sthe Human Body in Health & Disease) by Barbara Janson Cohen

This widely read classic is an excellent primer on more...1 point

The Human Body in Health & Disease - Hardcover (Human Body in Health and Disease) by Gary A. Thibodeau PhD, Kevin T. Patton PhD

The Human Body in Health & Disease - Hardcover (Human Body in Health and Disease) by Gary A. Thibodeau PhD, Kevin T. Patton PhD

This updated third edition includes outstanding co more...1 point

Memmler's Structure and Function of the Human Body (Structure & Function of the Human Body ( Memmler)) by Barbara Janson Cohen, Jason James Taylor

Memmler's Structure and Function of the Human Body (Structure & Function of the Human Body ( Memmler)) by Barbara Janson Cohen, Jason James Taylor

Based on Memmler's The Human Body in Health and Disease, more...1 point

First Human Body Encyclopedia (Dk First Reference Series) by DK Publishing

First Human Body Encyclopedia (Dk First Reference Series) by DK Publishing

Showing what's inside the human body and how things more...0 points

The Human Body Book (Book & DVD) by Steve Parker

The Human Body Book (Book & DVD) by Steve Parker

Revealing and detailing all aspects of the body, f more...0 points

The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole, Bruce Degen

The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole, Bruce Degen

Arnold has swallowed the Magic School Bus! Now, in more...0 points

view all 19 items

Human skull front simplified


Human skeleton front


3d Skelton Human Skeleton Functions Position Names 206 Bones

Human hand bones


Human arm bones diagram





Photo credit: ronnieb from morguefile.com

Front View of Skull


Human Body Anatomy Model

Human Body Anatomy Model

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Budget Life-Size Skull

Budget Life-Size Skull

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4D Vision Human Head Anatomy Model

4D Vision Human Head Anatomy Model

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Muscular System (Quick Study Academic)

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Learning Resources Brain Anatomy Model

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Joints & Ligaments

Joints & Ligaments (Quickstudy: Academic)

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