List of bones of the human skeleton facts for kids

Your human skeleton is like your body's framework! As an adult, you usually have about 206 bones. When you were born, you actually had around 270 bones. Many of these bones fused together as you grew up.

Your skeleton is divided into two main parts:

• The axial skeleton has 80 bones. This includes the bones of your head, chest, and spine.
• The appendicular skeleton has 126 bones. This includes the bones in your arms, legs, shoulders, and hips.

Most of your bones come in pairs, meaning you have one on each side of your body. Some people might have a slightly different number of bones due to natural anatomical variations, like tiny extra bones.

Your Amazing Skeleton: How Many Bones?

As you get older, some of your bones naturally join together, a process called synostosis. This usually finishes by the time you're in your twenties. Because of this, the number of bones can be counted differently at various stages of life. For example, the bones in your skull are counted separately, even though they are fused together.

Sometimes, people have a few more or fewer bones than average. This is completely normal!

• Some people have tiny extra bones called sutural bones in their skull.
• Others might have sesamoid bones, which are small bones that grow inside tendons, especially in the hands and feet.
• Rarely, some individuals might have extra cervical ribs (extra ribs near the neck) or extra bones in their lower back.
• Of course, injuries like amputations or bone fractures can also change the number of bones.

Parts of Your Skeleton

Various bones of the human skeletal system.

Your skeleton is made up of two main parts. The axial skeleton includes your spine, chest, and head, with 80 bones. The appendicular skeleton includes your arms, legs, and the bones connecting them to your body (like your shoulders and hips), with 126 bones. Together, they make up your 206 bones!

Bones in Your Head

The human skeleton, showing the head and other parts.

Your head is home to 29 bones, including your skull, face, and tiny ear bones.

• Cranial bones (8 bones)
  • Occipital bone (1)
  • Parietal bones (2)
  • Frontal bone (1)
  • Temporal bones (2)
  • Sphenoid bone (1)
  • Ethmoid bone (1)
• Facial bones (15 bones)
  • Nasal bones (2)
  • Maxilla (upper jaw) (2)
  • Lacrimal bone (2)
  • Zygomatic bone (cheek bones) (2)
  • Palatine bone (2)
  • Inferior nasal concha (2)
  • Vomer (1)
  • Hyoid bone (1)
  • Mandible (lower jaw) (1)
• Middle ear bones (6 bones, 3 on each side)
  • Malleus (2)
  • Incus (2)
  • Stapes (2)

Bones in Your Chest (Thorax)

Your chest has 25 bones that protect important organs like your lungs and heart.

• Sternum (breastbone) (1 bone)
• Ribs (24 bones, in 12 pairs)
  • Some people have extra ribs called Cervical ribs.

Bones in Your Spine (Vertebral Column)

Your spine, or backbone, helps you stand tall and move. An adult spine has 26 bones, while a child's spine has 33 bones that later fuse.

• Cervical vertebrae (7 bones in your neck)
• Thoracic vertebrae (12 bones in your upper back)
• Lumbar vertebrae (5 bones in your lower back)
• Sacrum (1 bone in adults, formed from 5 fused bones)
• Coccyx (1 bone in adults, formed from 4 fused bones, your tailbone)

Bones in Your Pelvis

Your pelvis is a strong ring of bones that supports your body and connects your legs to your spine.

• Anterior bone (front part, also called the hip bone or pelvic girdle) (1 bone)
  • Ilium
  • Ischium
  • Pubis
• Posterior bones (back part, which are also counted as part of the spine)
  • Sacrum
  • Coccyx

Bones in Your Arms and Hands

You have a total of 64 bones in your arms and hands, with 32 in each arm.

• Upper arm bones (6 bones, 3 on each side)
  • Humerus (2, your upper arm bone)
  • Pectoral girdle (shoulder)
    • Scapula (2, your shoulder blade)
    • Clavicle (2, your collarbone)
• Lower arm bones (4 bones, 2 on each side)
  • Ulna (2, the bone on your pinky finger side)
  • Radius (2, the bone on your thumb side)
• Hand bones (54 bones, 27 in each hand)
  • Carpals (wrist bones, 16 bones total, 8 in each wrist)
    • Scaphoid bone (2)
    • Lunate bone (2)
    • Triquetral bone (2)
    • Pisiform bone (2)
    • Trapezium (2)
    • Trapezoid bone (2)
    • Capitate bone (2)
    • Hamate bone (2)
  • Metacarpals (10 bones, 5 in each hand, your palm bones)
  • Phalanges of the hand (28 bones, 14 in each hand, your finger bones)
    • Proximal phalanges (10)
    • Intermediate phalanges (8)
    • Distal phalanges (10)

Bones in Your Legs and Feet

You have 8 bones in your legs and 52 bones in your feet.

• Femur (2, your thigh bone, the longest bone in your body)
• Patella (2, your kneecap)
• Tibia (2, your shin bone)
• Fibula (2, the smaller bone next to your shin bone)
• Foot bones (52 bones, 26 in each foot)
  • Tarsus (ankle bones, 14 bones total, 7 in each ankle)
    • Calcaneus (2, your heel bone)
    • Talus (2)
    • Navicular bone (2)
    • Medial cuneiform bone (2)
    • Intermediate cuneiform bone (2)
    • Lateral cuneiform bone (2)
    • Cuboid bone (2)
  • Metatarsals (10 bones, 5 in each foot, your foot arch bones)
  • Phalanges of the foot (28 bones, 14 in each foot, your toe bones)
    • Proximal phalanges (10)
    • Intermediate phalanges (8)
    • Distal phalanges (10)

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Esqueleto humano para niños

• List of skeletal muscles of the human body
• List of nerves of the human body
• Circulatory system
• Blood vessel