Top Axial Skeleton Flashcards

In any vertebrate animal (including you!) the axial skeleton is the central part: the skull, spine, and ribcage. It’s distinct from the “appendicular skeleton,” which is the bones of the arms and legs. You can remember it because “axial” sounds like “axle,” the part that runs through the center of a wheel. Just like the axle runs through the middle of a wheel, your axial skeleton runs through the center of your body.

The axial skeleton contains many of the most important bones in the body such as the skull and spine, which protect the all-important central nervous system. However, it’s also difficult to study since so many of the bones have similar names and appearances! Only a few experts can tell the difference between the third rib and the fourth rib just by looking.

The best way to study the axial skeleton is to understand it in context: by understanding the different structure of lumbar and cervical vertebrae, for example, you’ll be better able to understand why each one is located where it is.