The axial skeleton is the central portion of the bony skeleton comprising the head, neck and trunk (80 bones in total). It has many functions including housing and protecting the central nervous system as well as the organs of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. It enables movement and supports the upper and lower limbs (appendicular skeleton).
Bones of the axial skeleton
-
skull
-
calvaria and skull base
- frontal bone
- sphenoid bone
- ethmoid bone
- temporal bones (paired)
- parietal bones (paired)
- occipital bone
-
facial bones
- palatine bones (paired)
- lacrimal bones (paired)
- nasal bones (paired)
- vomer
- inferior nasal conchae (paired)
- zygomas (paired)
- maxillae (paired)
- mandible
- middle ear ossicles (paired)
-
calvaria and skull base
- hyoid bone
-
spine
-
cervical vertebrae (7)
- atlas (C1)
- axis (C2)
- typical cervical vertebrae (C3-7)
- thoracic vertebrae (12)
- lumbar vertebrae (5)
- sacrum (5)
- coccyx (3-5)
-
cervical vertebrae (7)
- thorax
NB: anatomically, the teeth are not bones and therefore do not form part of the axial skeleton