Table of Contents
BUD'S BONES...
Bone facts:
- There are 29 bones in the human skull.
- The squiggly lines in the skull are called sutures (soo-cherz).
Rear view of the skull with sutures
- The bones of the skull are not fused together at birth, but grow together as a person gets older.
Why do I have a skull?
- Your skull protects the brain from damage which is helpful when you fall off your skateboard.
- Your teeth are housed in the skull which is a good thing 'cause you'd look funny if you chewed pizza with your hands!
- The skull provides a place for your eyes to sit and are protected by the orbital cavities.
Bone facts:
- The ribcage is often called the chest and shoulder girdle because there are many bones that make up this portion of the skeleton. It is also called the thorax, which does not include the arms and hands.
Rear view (back and shoulder girdle)
-
There are twelve paired ribs, paired meaning you have both a left and right rib, twenty-four separate ribs in all.
-
The sternum, or breastbone, is located between the ribs in the front of your chest. It is shaped like a "T" and can clearly be seen in the ribcage graphic at the top of this section.
-
The clavicle, or collar bone, holds the shoulder joint away from the rest of the upper body (trunk) and is only as thick as your little finger.
-
The scapula (skap-yoo-lah) is located on the back side of the ribcage and helps provide part of the shoulder joint and movement for the arms.
Left scapula
Why do I have a ribcage?
- Your ribcage protects vital organs, such as the lungs, heart and digestive system as well as the spinal column.
- The ribcage provides rigidity so you can stand up straight when your parents catch you slouching.
- Your chest and shoulder girdle provide a place where your muscles can attach to. Kind of like when rock climbers attach ropes to the rocks so they won't fall down.
Bone facts:
-
The bones in the backbone are called vertebrae (ver-tah-bray) and consist of 33 bones in 3 different sections.
-
The three sections are: 1) the cervical region (neck bones)
2) the thorasic region (what the ribs attach to)
3) the lumbar region (the lower part of the back)
Why do I have vertebrae?
-
Without your vertabrae, you couldn't stand up straight.
-
Your backbone protects the spinal column, which provides blood to your brain and houses many nerves.
-
It provides rigidity and flexibility to your skeleton so it is possible to do gymnastics and sports.
Bone facts:
-
The pelvis is part of the pelvic girdle and makes your hips. This consists of the various bones in the pelvis and the sacrum (say-krum) which are the last vertebrae in the backbone.
-
The pelvis is divided into two sections, left and right. The large wing-like portion at the top of each half is called the Ilium (ill-ee-um).
-
The Ischium (ish-ee-um) is the portion of each half which narrows and forms the socket which the femur (thigh bone) fits into.
Why do I have a pelvis?
- The shape of your pelvis is different than any other mammal. This special shape allows you to stand and walk on two legs.
- The shape of your pelvis can also help doctors to identify you as male or female, since each gender has special characteristics. (For more information on this topic, please refer to the "Bone Links Page" for more in-depth sites)
Bone facts:
-
The 3 bones of the arm are the humerus (hyoo-mer-us), the radius (ray-dee-us) and the ulna (ul-nah).
-
The humerus is the upper arm bone - you know, where your big muscles are!
-
The radius and ulna make up the fore-arm, in between the elbow and the wrist.
Why do I have arm bones?
-
The main reason you have arm bones is so your arms can function properly. Without them, your arms would be floppy like an octopus!
-
Your arm bones provide attachments for your arm muscles.
-
They make it easier to reach for things, brush your teeth, eat and play tag with your friends!
Bone facts:
-
The anatomy of the leg is similar to the arm. The 4 bones of the leg are the femur (fee-mur), the tibia (tib-ee-uh), the fibula (fib-yoo-lah) and the patella (pah-tell-uh).
-
The femur is the upper leg bone which helps form the hip joint by articulating (fit together) with the pelvis. It is the largest ball and socket joint in the body.
Right femur
-
The tibia, in the lower leg, supports most of the body's weight.
Left leg bones
-
The fibula provides support for the ankle and space for muscle attachments.
-
The patella is the kneecap.
Three-quarter view of the left knee joint
(The patella is the small triangular shaped bone in the center.)
Why do I have leg bones?
- Your leg bones allow rigidity and space for your muscles to attach.
- The bones in your legs keep you upright and provide support for the rest of your body's weight.
- Your leg bones allow you to run, skip and kick a ball...you just can't jump without them!
Bone facts:
-
The hand is made up of three regions and 27 bones. These regions are wrist bones, the hand proper (the palm) and the finger bones.
-
The carpals (car-pulz) make up the wrist bones and provide flexibility for the hands.
-
The metacarpals (me-tah-car-pulz) make up the large flat part of the hand, the palm.
-
The phalanges (fa-lan-jez) are the finger bones - the ones you use to push the remote control buttons for the television!
Right hand bones
Why do I have hand bones?
-
The bones in your hands, particularly the thumb bones, allow you to write with a pen or pencil. Cats can't do that, they don't have thumbs!
-
Your hand is unique! Your fingertips are very sensitive to touch and your bones reflect that. The bones at the very tips of your fingers are flat like paddles to allow space for the hundreds of nerve endings under your skin!
Bone facts:
- The foot is made up of 25 bones, the tarsals (tar-sulz), the metatarsals (met-a-tar-sulz) and the phalanges (fa-lan-jez).
- The tarsals are the ankle bones and allow the foot flexibility.
- The metatarsals make up the bulk of the foot from the heel to the toes and are very useful for bearing the weight of the body.
- The phalanges are the toes and help stabilize and balance the body.
Why do I have foot bones?
- Your feet provide balance for the weight of your body.
- Your foot shape helps you walk on two legs.
- Without foot bones, you couldn't climb a ladder or dance ballet very easily.
Not all of Bud's 206 individual bones have been listed on this page. For a more complete listing of the human skeleton, please refer to our "Bone Links" page for further sites to study.