| Bone: Pelvis | ||
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| Male type pelvis | ||
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| Female type pelvis | ||
| Latin | Pelvis | |
The pelvis (plural: pelves) is a set of bones. Many people think of the pelvis as the hip bone, because it is at the hip. The pelvis is at the lower end of the spine. In vertebrates, the legs are attached at the pelvis.
The function of the pelvis is to protect the organs used for digesting and for reproduction (making babies). It is also important for bearing some load.
The pelvis is symmetrical. It is made of the following bones:
1. The hip bone made of:
- The top part is the ilium
- The middle part (the upper part of the loops) is called pubis
- The lower part (the lower part of the loops) is called ischium
2. The sacrum 3. The coccyx
Male and female human pelves are different. The female pelvis is wider and more shallow than the male pelvis.
Images for kids
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A human pelvis, with the bones labelled.
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The same human pelvis, front imaged by x-ray (top), magnetic resonance imaging (middle),and 3-dimensional computed tomography (bottom).
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Intrinsic back muscles
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Posterior hip muscles
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Anterior hip muscles
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Posterior hip muscles
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The pelvic girdle of the dinosaur Falcarius utahensis
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Diameters of pelvic inlet.
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Right hip bone. External surface.
