The Human Skeleton

body · bones · science

Born with more. Babies are born with around 270 bones, but as they grow up some of these bones fuse together. Adults end up with about 206 bones.

Light but strong. All your bones together make up only about 14% of your body weight, yet they keep you standing tall.

Peak bone power. Your bones reach their maximum mass and strength between the ages of 25 and 30.

Two main parts. The skeleton splits into the axial skeleton (skull, spine, and ribs) and the appendicular skeleton (your arms, legs, shoulders, and hips).

Inside framework. Your skeleton is like an internal scaffold that supports your body and protects soft organs like your heart and brain.