A skeleton is a framework that supports and protects the body of some animals. In humans, this framework is made up largely from bone and cartilage. Bone helps to give strength to the framework whilst cartilage at the joints allows movement to take place. The human body has about 206 bones ranging from the large bones to be found in the thigh to the small bones in the inner ear. The skeleton has a number of main functions, it:
- protects important parts of the body such as the brain, which is protected by the skull, internal organs that are protected by the ribs and the spinal cord that is protected by the backbone;
- it gives support and shape, allowing humans to stand up and gives a framework to the body;
- it allows movement to take place using the muscles that are attached to the bones by strong fibrous tissue called tendons.
