Without the skeletal system you would be a shapeless bag of soft organs collapsed on the floor. You would be helpless. You would not be able to perform movements such as walking or grasping. The slightest bump to your head or chest could damage the brain or heart. It would even be impossible to chew food. The framework of bones and cartilage that protects organs and allows movement is called the skeletal system. In this exercise you will learn to recognize the shapes and position of individual bones of the skeleton.

There are 206 bones in the human body.
They are grouped into two major sub divisions of the skeleton:

1. The axial skeleton,

consisting of the skull, vertebral column, ribs and sternum;

2. The appendicular skeleton,

consisting of the limb bones and the girdles which anchor the limbs to the axial skeleton.

Objectives
- Name the bone groups composing the axial skeleton (skull, bony thorax, vertebral column) and the appendicular skeleton (pectoral and pelvic girdles, upper and lower limbs).
- Identify the bones composing the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton, know their position relative to each other and name the important bone markings on each.
- Be able to distinguish the different types of vertebrae.