There are 206 bones in
the adult human body 80 axial bones, and 126
appendicular bones.
Axial Bones - The axial bones are the eighty
bones which lie along the central, vertical axis of the
body and support and protect the head and torso and
include the skull and the spinal column.
Appendicular Bones -
The appendicular skeleton consists of the clavicles,
scapulae, bones of the upper limb, bones of the pelvis,
and the fingers, and toes.
The skeletal system
consists of four types of bones; long, short, flat and
irregular.
Long
Bones
Long bones are large, dense bones
that provide strength, structure and mobility such as
the femur and tibia in the legs and the humerus and
radius in the arms. A long bone has a hollow shaft and
two ends. These bones can be fractured at any place
along the length of the bone.
Short Bones
Short bones are approximately as wide as they are long;
examples include the small bones of the wrist and ankle.
Short bones are roughly cube-shaped, and have only a
thin layer of compact bone surrounding a spongy
interior.
Flat Bones
Flat bones are generally bones that don’t bear much
weight, such as the skull. Most flat bones do not form
from cartilage, but instead develop by a process called
intramembranous ossification. Flat bones are usually
thin and provide space for the attachment of muscle.
They also protect vital organs of the body.
Irregular Bones
Irregular bones, as the name suggests have varied
shapes, sizes, and surface features and include the
bones of the vertebrae and a few in the skull.
Bones of the Foot
The bones of the foot are broken into three
large sections, the tarsals - ankle bones, metatarsals -
the sole bone, and the phalanges - toe bones. The bones
of the foot are arranged structurally to form three
arches.
Bones of the
Hand
The long bones of the hand that lie
within the palm are called the metacarpal bones, there
is one for each phalange or finger, and one for the
thumb. The carpal bones are the eight bones that connect
the forearm to the hand.
The Rib Cage
The purpose of the rib cage is to protect the heart,
lungs, liver, spleen, and other internal organs against
injury. It consists of part of the spine in the back,
the sternum, or breastbone in the front, plus twelve
pairs of flat bones called the ribs. These ribs are
connected to the breastbone by cartilage. This makes the
ribs, flexible, which is necessary during breathing.
The Skull
The human skull is comprised of 22 bones that
interconnect, 8 bones form the brain case, and the
remaining 14 bones make up the face. Except for the
mandible - jawbone, all of the bones of the skull are
joined together by cranial sutures.
Bone Trivia
The largest, and strongest bone in the human body is the
femur - or thigh bone that goes from the hip joint to
the knee. The smallest bone in the human body is the
stirrup, in the middle ear. It is just 5 mm long and
helps to carry sounds into the inner part of the ear. It
weighs only 0.05 grams. The hardest bone in the human
body encases the inner ear.
Some of this information
was obtained from the Wikipedia web site. Wikipedia the free
encyclopedia.
