The skeleton is the hard internal or external framework of bones, cartilage or shell which provides protection for an animals organs, provides fixing points for the muscles and a general frame for the body. Two hundred and six bones compose the skeleton, about half of which are in the hands and feet. Most of the bones are connected to other bones at flexible joints, which lend the framework a high degree of flexibility. Only one bone, the hyoid, is not directly connected to another bone in such an articulation. It anchors the tongue and is attached to the styloid processes of the skull by ligament. The skeletons of male and female bodies are essentially the same, with the only noteworthy exceptions being that female bones are usually lighter and thinner than male bones, and the female pelvis is shallower and wider than the male's. This latter difference makes childbirth easier. Research Skeleton
Abbreviations
Medicine
Research Skeleton