The skeletal system plays an important role in giving a frame and support to the body. It also serves to protect the delicate organs within them and store calcium which helps us remain strong. Broken bones have the ability to regrow and re-join themselves and bones undergo constant growth from the age of 2 till the age of 25.

Here are some fascinating facts about the Skeletal System.

• When humans are born, their body comprises of 300 bones. Over age, some of those bones fuse together and by adulthood, the human body is left with 206 bones.

• The skull serves to protect the brain, has the eye socket which contains our eye balls and gives shape to our mouth and jawline. The lower jaw is the only movable part of the skull and is known as the mandible.

• Skeletal bones reach maximum density at around the age of 30.

• When bones suffer fracture, doctors put them in a cask or splint to ensure that when the bones regrow, they grow in proper shape.

• The spine runs down from our neck through the centre of the back and is made of smaller bones filled with fluid for lubrication enabling movement of the spine. It also helps provide support for the entire body and protects our spinal cord.

• The longest single bone in the human body is the femur bone that runs from the hip sockets to the knees.

• The axial skeletal structure of our body consists of 80 bones and includes the rib cage, skull and vertebral column all of which help us maintain an upright posture and distributes the weight of the body from the head to the hips.

• The hand, fingers and wrist contain the maximum number of bones in concentration which account to 54 bones.

• Although the teeth form a part of the skeletal system, they are not counted as bones.

• The smallest bone in the human body is present in the middle ear and is called Stapes. This bone is shaped like a stirrup and measures 0.1-0.13″ long approximately.

• The appendicular section of the skeletal system contains 126 bones and includes the lower and upper limbs, pectoral and pelvic girdles.

• The rate at which bones undergo wear and tear and are replaced, one could say that the human body has one new bone in every 7 years.

• Bones that contain red bone marrow help in the production of red blood cells which is responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. On an average, the bone marrow produces 2 million red cells every second.

• Bones containing yellow bone marrow generate fatty acids for the body. However, when a baby is born, it has red bone marrow generating bones only.

• Human beings and giraffes have similar number of bones on the neck although the giraffe happens to be the tallest animal in the world.

The human skeletal system serves to protect our body’s delicate organs and enable movement, production of blood cells in the bone marrow, store ion and endocrine regulation. It is the bones which provide a frame and shape but without the muscles attached to bones, they would not have been movable.