Features

• The skeletal structure of humans forms during gestation and for a number of years after birth. This process is known as ossification. By early adulthood, the skeleton completes its growth in a process called epiphyseal plate closure.
  
  

Significance

• Human skeletons are designed very similarly to the basic vertebrate structure of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles. After birth, the skeleton has 270 bones, which eventually fuse into 206 in adulthood.
  
  

Function

• The skeletal structure of humans is responsible for six distinct functions of the body. The skeleton provides for support, movement, protection, blood cell production, the storage of minerals and the regulation of the endocrine system.
  
  

Considerations

• Male and female human skeletons have many differences. The most notable difference is the shape of the pelvis, required for childbirth in women. Men's limbs, teeth, and rib cages are thicker and larger than women's.
  
  

Types

• There are two distinct systems of the human skeleton. The axial skeleton consists of the vertebral column, the ribs, sternum and skull. The appendicular skeleton is comprised of the limbs, pectoral bones and pelvic region.