Skeleton Organization

The skeleton consists of 206 bones, which are connected by joints. The skeleton protects the internal organs, provides a point of attachment for muscles and produces blood cells.

The human skeleton is divided into the axial and appendicular skeleton.

The axial skeleton is made up of the bones of the head, neck and trunk (including the vertebral column).

The appendicular skeleton is what attaches to the axial skeleton and it consists of the upper and lower limbs. The limbs are attached to the axial skeleton via the shoulder (pectoral) and pelvic girdles.

The former connects the upper limb to the trunk and it is composed of the shoulder girdle (clavicles and scapulae), while the latter is in fact the bony pelvis. The skeleton of the upper limbs consists of the (humerus, ulna, radius and hand bones) while the lower limbs consist of the (femur, tibia, fibula, foot bones).

Learn the bones of the body with skeletal system quizzes!