Skeleton Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Skeleton

A horse and human skeleton placed in a display in the Australian Museum, Sydney.

Vein skeleton of a leaf. Veins contain lignin that make them harder to degrade for microorganisms. The leaf came from Magnolia doltsopa(Magnoliaceae).

A skeleton is the strong, hard frame that supports the body of a living thing. Think of it like the frame of a house! Skeletons can be found inside or outside the body. For humans and other mammals, our skeletons are made of bones. All these bones, connected together, form what we call the "skeletal system."

Your skeleton is hidden under your skin, muscles, and other tissues. It helps hold up your body and keeps everything in place. The skeleton also protects important internal organs, like your brain, heart, and lungs. Without a skeleton, your body would be flat and floppy!

Some creatures have skeletons inside their bodies. These include mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. This type of inner skeleton is called an endoskeleton.

Other creatures have skeletons outside their bodies. These are called arthropods. Examples include insects (like ants and bees), arachnids (spiders and scorpions), and crustaceans (like crabs and lobsters). Their skeletons are made of hard plates or shells. This outer skeleton is known as an exoskeleton.

The Human Skeleton: Your Body's Framework
Skeletons in Culture and Games
- Skeletons as Symbols
- Skeletons in Popular Games
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The Human Skeleton: Your Body's Framework

Your body has many important parts. These include your head, spine, chest, abdomen, arms, hands, legs, and feet. Each part is supported by bones.

The skeleton of a woman with the scientific names for the bones

A skeleton from the back

Bones of the Head: Your Skull

All the bones in your head together are called the skull.

The skull is made of curved bones that fit together like a ball. It protects your brain, eyes, and the inner parts of your ears. The bones forming the main part of your head are called the cranium.
Your skull also has an upper and lower jaw, both with teeth. These jaws are called the "upper" and "lower" mandibles. Strong muscles move your lower jaw, helping you bite and chew food.
There are also several smaller bones that make up your face.
The smallest bones in your entire body are three tiny bones inside your ear. They vibrate to help you hear sounds.

Bones of the Spine: Your Backbone

Your spine supports your head, chest, and the structures that hold your arms. It is made of many small bones called vertebrae. The entire spine is also known as the spinal column. It's not perfectly straight but has curves. These curves help support your body and allow you to move and bend. One bone is a "vertebra," and many are "vertebrae."

The vertebrae have different names based on where they are in your body:

The neck vertebrae are called cervical vertebrae.
The chest vertebrae are called thoracic vertebrae.
The vertebrae in your lower back are called the lumbar vertebrae.
The next group of vertebrae are joined together in a triangle shape called the sacrum. Your hip bones connect to the sacrum.
At the very bottom of the sacrum are some tiny tail-bones called the coccyx. In many animals, these bones are long and form a tail. But in humans, apes, and some other creatures, they are very short.

Bones of the Pelvis: Your Hips

This part of your body includes the sacrum and two large pelvic bones on each side. Your leg bones support the pelvic bones, and they, in turn, support your "spinal column." Each pelvic bone has a strong socket where your leg bone fits. This allows you to stand, walk, run, and jump.

Each pelvic bone also has a large, flat part that supports your "internal organs." A woman's pelvis is wider than a man's. This wider shape helps support a baby during pregnancy and allows it to pass through during birth.

Bones of the Chest: Your Rib Cage

Your chest is called the thorax. The vertebrae that are part of it are the thoracic vertebrae. The thorax is made of long, flat, curved bones called ribs. At the back, your ribs connect to your vertebrae. At the front, most ribs connect to the sternum, also known as the "breast bone." Together, the "thorax" protects your heart, lungs, and stomach.

At the top of your "thorax" is the shoulder girdle. This includes two thin, horizontal bones at the front called the clavicles or "collar bones." They connect to the "sternum." At the back of the "thorax" are two flat, triangle-shaped bones called the scapulae or "shoulder blades." The "clavicles" and "scapulae" form your "shoulders." Your arm bones fit into cup-like holes in the "scapulae."

Bones of the Limbs: Arms and Legs

Both your arms and legs have a thicker bone at the top and two thinner bones at the bottom. They also have a joint at the top that can rotate and a hinge joint in the middle. Your hands and feet have many small bones that connect to your arms and legs.

Bones of the Arms

The upper arm bone is the humerus. When you hit your elbow, you might call it your "funny bone."
The bone that sticks out at the elbow and runs down the outside of your arm is the ulna.
The bone on the thumb-side of your arm is called the radius. Near the elbow, it connects to the "ulna" in a way that allows it to rotate. The "radius" and "ulna" can twist around each other, letting you turn your hand.
The small bones of your wrist are called carpals. The bones inside your hand are called metacarpals.
Your finger bones are called the phalanges.

Bones of the Legs

The upper leg bone, which is the longest bone in your body, is called the femur.
The larger bone at the front of your lower leg is called the tibia or "shin bone." It forms the inside ankle bone.
The thinner bone at the side of your lower leg is called the fibula. It forms the outside ankle bone.
The small bones that connect your foot to your leg bones and allow it to move are called the tarsals. The bones inside your foot are the metatarsals.
Your toe bones are also called phalanges, just like your finger bones.
Your leg has one more important bone. At the front of your knee joint, where the "tibia" meets the "femur," is a small, round bone like a shield. It protects the joint and is called the patella.

Skeletons in Culture and Games

Skeletons as Symbols

A skeleton, or just a skull, has often been used to represent Death.

You can see skeletons and skulls carved on many tombs, from ancient times up to the 20th century.
Skeletons or skulls often appear in old paintings or stained glass windows. They remind people that life is short.
Skeletons or skulls were sometimes used to scare people. Skeletons might be left hanging in public places, like crossroads, to show that people would be punished by death if they broke the law.
Skeletons or skulls were also a symbol used by pirates.