Skeleton
hideIn biology, a skeleton is a rigid framework that provides protection and structure in many types of animal, particularly those of the phylum Chordata and of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. Exoskeletons are external, as is typical of many invertebrates; they enclose the soft tissues and organs of the body. Exoskeletons may undergo periodic moulting as the animal grows. Endoskeletons are internal, as is typical of many vertebrates; they are usually surrounded by skin and musculature, though they often enclose vital organs. Endoskeletons are attachment points for musculature and act as leverage for movement, and in many animals contain marrow, which produces blood cells. Skeletons may or may not be mineralized - human skeletons are calcified, while shark skeletons are cartilaginous - and may be jointed for flexibility and motility or rigid for structural strength.
The average adult human skeleton has around 206 bones. These bones meet at joints, the majority of which are freely movable. The skeleton also contains cartilage for elasticity. Ligaments are strong strips of fibrous connective tissue that hold bones together at joints, thereby stabilizing the skeleton during movement.
For more information about Skeleton, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with skeleton
Bones of T. rex to make museum debut in Oregon
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
16 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex will make its museum debut at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry along the banks of the Willamette River.
Early carnivorous dinosaurs crossed continents
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 10, 2009 |
4 / 5 (2) |
0
Did the first dinosaurs wander across continents or stay put where they first evolved? The first dinosaurs evolved 230 million years ago when the continents were assembled into one landmass called Pangea. ...
Before 'Lucy,' there was 'Ardi': Oldest hominid skeleton provides new evidence for human evolution (w/ Video)
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 01, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (35) |
1
In a special issue of Science, an international team of scientists has for the first time thoroughly described Ardipithecus ramidus, a hominid species that lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiop ...
Scientists: New dinosaur species found in SAfrica
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 11, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (8) |
0
(AP) -- Scientists say they've discovered a new dinosaur species in South Africa that may help explain how the creatures evolved into the largest animals on land.
The terrible teens of T. rex
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 02, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
0
We all know adolescents get testy from time to time. Thank goodness we don't have young tyrannosaurs running around the neighborhood.
Ancient well, and body, found in Cyprus
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jun 24, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
0
(AP) -- Archaeologists have discovered a water well in Cyprus that was built as long as 10,500 years ago, and the skeleton of a young woman at the bottom of it, an official said Wednesday.
47-million-year-old fossil could shed light on primate family tree
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 19, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (13) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- A 47-million-year-old primate fossil, a purported "missing link" between primates and humans, was unveiled this week in New York. The fossil, formally called Darwinius masillae but nicknamed ...
Air-filled bones helped prehistoric reptiles take first flight
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Feb 18, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (13) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the Mesozoic Era, 70 million years before birds first conquered the skies, pterosaurs dominated the air with sparrow- to Cessna-sized wingspans. Researchers suspected that these extinct ...
Fossil evidence of missing link in the origin of seals, sea lions, walruses found in Canadian Arctic
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 22, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (13) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from the United States and Canada have found a fossil skeleton of a newly discovered carnivorous animal, Puijila darwini. New research suggests Puijila is a "missing link" in the ...
Caistor skeleton mystifies archaeologists
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 15, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (14) |
1
A skeleton, found at one of the most important, but least understood, Roman sites in Britain is puzzling experts from The University of Nottingham.
New species discovered on whale skeletons
Sep 21, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
0
When a whale dies, it sinks to the seafloor and becomes food for an entire ecosystem. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have discovered previously unknown species that feed only on dead ...
US to auction rare T-Rex skeleton
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Aug 13, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
A rare Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, among the most complete specimens in the world, is to go on the auction block in Las Vegas in October, the auction house Bonhams & Butterfields has said.
Indonesian elephant fossil opens window to past
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jun 23, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (5) |
1
(AP) -- Indonesian scientists are reconstructing the largest, most complete skeleton of a prehistoric giant elephant ever found in the tropics, a finding that may offer new clues into the largely mysterious ...
A million-year-old mammoth skeleton found in Serbia: report
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jun 03, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
0
A finely preserved skeleton of a mammoth, believed to be one million years old, was uncovered near an archaeological site in eastern Serbia, local media reported on Wednesday.
Cretaceous octopus with ink and suckers -- the world's least likely fossils?
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Mar 17, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
0
New finds of 95 million year old fossils reveal much earlier origins of modern octopuses. These are among the rarest and unlikeliest of fossils. The chances of an octopus corpse surviving long enough to be fossilized are ...
