Bones Names

Hey, do you remember the “Grim Reaper” from the show “Grim Adventure of Billy and Mandy”? He was essentially not a human, rather a talking skeleton. The skeleton is the inner hard structure of our body and is made of a number of bones. Bones are solid structures made up of proteins and minerals and provide a shape to the body. They act as a protective layer for all the internal organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, etc and they are known to give support to the organs within the body and also anchor muscles.

Types of Bones in the Human Body

There are a  variety of bones found in our body and can be of multiple sizes and shapes.

There are 4 major types of bones in our body, i.e. long, short, flat, and irregular.

Long Bones

• These bones have a much greater length than width and hence are called long bones. 

• They can be described as a  long shaft almost like a rod with two bulky ends looking like a dumbbell.

• They are mostly very solid but might have a large number of spongy portions in them at both ends. 

• The bones of the thigh, leg, arm, and forearm are all long bones. 

Short Bones

• These bones are cube-shaped with almost equal length and breadth.

• These bones are primarily spongy and covered with a thin layer of compact bone. 

• The bones present in the wrist and ankle are the short bones.

Flat Bones

• These bones do not have much volume and are essentially flat and thin and also curved. 

• Cranium is made up of flat bones.

Irregular Bones 

• These are the bones that do not have a specific shape in order to classify them into any of the above groups. 

• These are the spongy bones that are covered by a thin layer of compact bone. 

• Bones of the vertebrae and some skull bones are all irregular bones.

Types of Bones

List of Human Bones

• Humans have a total of 206 bones in their bodies. 

• There are many groups of bones in the human body. 

• Many parts of our skeleton are made up of multiple small bones joined together to form a proper structure. 

• The various groups include,

Bones

Bones in the Head:

Cranial Bones (8):

Frontal, parietal (2), Temporal (2), Occipital, Sphenoid, Ethmoid

Facial Bones (14):

Mandible, Maxilla (2), Palatine (2), Zygomatic (2), Nasal (2), Lacrimal (2), Vomer, Inferior Nasal conchae (2)

Ear Bones (6):

Malleus (2), Incus (2), Stapes (2)

Throat Bones (1):

Hyoid

Shoulder Bones(4):

Shoulder blade (2), Collarbone (2) (also called the clavicle)

Thorax Bones (25):

Sternum (1), Ribs (2 x 12)

Vertebral Column Bones (24):

Cervical vertebrae (7), Thoracic vertebrae (12), Lumbar vertebrae (5)

Upper Arm Bones (2):

Humerus (2)

Forearm Bones (4):

Radius (2), Ulna (2)

Wrist Bones(16):

Scaphoid (2), Lunate (2), Triquetral (2), Pisiform (2), Trapezium (2), Trapezoid (2), Capitate bone (2), Hamate (2)

Palm Bones:

Metacarpals (5 x 2)

Finger Bones:

Proximal phalanges (5 x 2), Intermediate phalanges (4 x 2), Distal phalanges (5 x 2)

Pelvis Bones (4):

Sacrum, Coccyx, Hip bone (2)

Leg Bones (8):

The femur or thigh bone (2), Patella (2), Tibia (2), Fibula (2)

Ankle Bones(24):

Calcaneus (heel bone) (2), Talus (2), Navicular (2), Medial cuneiform (2), Intermediate Cuneiform (2), Lateral cuneiform (2), Cuboid (2), Metatarsal bone (5 x 2)

Toe Bones:

Proximal phalanges (5 x 2), Intermediate phalanges (4 x 2), Distal phalanges (5 x 2)

Function of Bones

• They provide structural support to the body. 

• The bones joined at different locations allow various movements. 

• They are known to protect various vital organs such as the rib cage protects the heart and lungs.

• The blood in our body is formed within the bones by the bone marrow or specifically the red marrow. 

• The bones are also important for storage of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus. 

Summary

Bones are the framework of the body which is important to stand erect and help to protect different delicate organs. The largest and strongest bone is the femur or thigh bone. The bones won’t grow after puberty, the density and strength change over time.