5-11 The Skeleton

The skeleton provides shape and form to the human body.  The average human adult skeleton has 206 bones joined together by ligaments and tendons.  Babies are born with 270 soft bones - about 64 more than an adult; and many of these will fuse together by the age of twenty or twenty-five into the 206 hard, permanent bones.

Our vital organs are protected by the skeletal system. The brain is protected by the surrounding skull as the heart and lungs are encased by the sternum and rib cage.

Muscles are connected to bones by tendons. Bones are connected to each other by ligaments. Where bones meet one another is typically called a joint.

Blood cells are produced by the marrow located in some bones. An average of 2.6 million red blood cells are produced each second by the bone marrow to replace those worn out and destroyed by the liver.  Bones serve as a storage area for minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.

Locate the bones of the body below.

Patella	Cranium	Fibula
Mandible	Tibia	Metatarsals
Clavicle	Ribs	Vertebra
Metacarpals	Radius	Sternum
Scapula	Femur	Pelvic
Ulna	Sacrum	Humerus
1.		8.
2.		9.
3.		10.
4.		11.
5.		12.
6.		13.
7.		14.
		15.
		16.
		17.
		18.

Muscles are connected to bones by .

Bones are connected to each other by .

Blood cells are produced by the .