Short bones are "short": cubelike. They do not have any cavity similar to the medullary cavity of the long bones.

Section one of the bones of the ankle: Short bones are made mostly of spongy bone tissue, but their outer parts are made of a thin crust of compact bone tissue.

Sesamoid bones are a special brand of short bones: they are embedded within a tendon and act to alter its direction of pull. They differ in size, shape and quantity from an individual to another.