Bones in Human Body

         Bones in Human Body

The adult human skeleton is made up of 206 bones. These include the bones of the skull, spine (vertebrae), ribs, arms and legs.

Bones are made of connective tissue reinforced with calcium and specialised bone cells.

The human skeleton consists of 206 bones in an adult, but babies are born with around 270, which fuse together over time.

These bones are categorized into the axial skeleton (80 bones) and the appendicular skeleton (126 bones).

Axial Skeleton:

Skull: 29 bones (8 cranial, 14 facial, 1 hyoid, 6 auditory ossicles).

Vertebral Column: 26 bones (7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 1 sacrum, 1 coccyx).

Rib Cage: 24 bones (12 ribs on each side) and 1 sternum.

Hyoid Bone: 1.

Appendicular Skeleton:

Shoulder Girdle: 4 bones (2 clavicles and 2 scapulae).

Hands and Wrists: 54 bones (8 carpals, 5 metacarpals, 19 phalanges per hand).

Arms and Forearms: 6 bones (2 humeri, 2 radii, 2 ulnae).

Legs and Feet: 6 bones (2 femurs, 2 tibias, 2 fibulas).

Pelvic Girdle: 2 bones (2 coxal bones, which fuse to form the pelvis).

Feet and Ankles: 54 bones (7 tarsals, 5 metatarsals, 19 phalanges per foot).

Key Points:

Individual Variation:

              Some people may have slightly more or fewer bones than the standard 206, particularly in their fingers and toes.

Bone Functions:

              Bones provide structure, support, and protection for organs, as well as allowing for movement and acting as a storage site for minerals like calcium.

Fusing Bones:

            Some bones that are separate in infancy, like the clavicle or the bones of the skull, eventually fuse into a single bone in adulthood.