Table of Contents
An adult human skeleton consists of 206 bones in total. At the time of birth, there are 270 bones which fuse with time to come to a total of 206 bones. The total bones of our body can be divided into axial skeleton (80) and appendicular skeleton (126). The accessory bones and sesamoid bones are included in the total bone count of our body.
Below is the list of the 206 bones found in the human body.
Names of the 206 Bones
The axial skeleton comprises the skull, chest and spine and consists of 80 bones. The appendicular skeleton, on the other hand includes the arms, the legs, pelvic and pectoral girdles.
Chest
- Sternum (1 or 3)
- Ribs (24, in pairs)
- Cervical ribs (occur only in some people)
Spine
- Cervical vertebrae (7)
- Thoracic vertebrae (12)
- Lumbar vertebrae (5)
- Sacrum (5)
- Coccyx (1)
Skull
Cranial Bones
- Occipital bone
- Parietal bones (2)
- Frontal bone
- Temporal bones (2)
- Ethmoid bone
- Sphenoid bone
Facial Bones
- Lacrimal bones (2)
- Maxillae (2)
- Nasal bones (2)
- Palatine bones (2)
- Zygomatic bones (2)
- Inferior nasal concha (2)
- Mandible
- Hyoid Bone
- Vomer
Ear Bones
- Malleus (2)
- Incus (2)
- Stapes (2)
Pectoral Girdle
- Clavicle (2)
- Scapula (2)
Arms
- Humerus (2)
- Radius (2)
- Ulna (2)
- Carpals (16)
- Phanages (28)
- Metacarpals (10)
Pelvic Girdle
- Hip bones (2)
Legs
- Femur (2)
- Tibia (2)
- Fibula (2)
- Patella (2)
- Tarsals (14)
- Phalanges (28)
- Metatarsals (10)
Exceptions
A person’s bone keeps fusing till the third decade of their lifetime. So, the total number of bones in an individual is evaluated differently throughout the lifetime. The sesamoid bones such as the pisiform (in the wrist) is counted while hallux (in the toes) is not counted. The bones of the skull and the face are fused together but are still counted as separate bones.
Anatomical variations can increase or decrease the number of bones in an individual such as sutural bones, cervical vertebrae, polydactyly or oligodactyly.
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