| BONE NAME | SKELETAL POSITION | EXPLANATION |
| Occipital bone | Bone at the back and lower part of the cranium. | Occipital bone forms the base of the cranium.
It is a curved, trapezoidal bone and encloses a large circular aperture called foramen magnum through which the brain extends as the spinal cord. |
| Temporal bone | Bone on each side and at base of the cranium. | Temporal bone is located on each side and at base of the skull.
It encloses 6 ear ossicles of the middle ear (3 on each side). |
| Parietal bone | Bone on each side and at roof of the cranium. | Parietal bone is located on each side and at roof of the cranium.
Parietal bone lies between the frontal and the occipital bone.
Each bone is irregularly quadrilateral in shape. |
| Frontal bone | Bone at the forehead. | Frontal bone forms the forehead of the skull.
It also includes the upper part of the eye sockets. |
| Ethmoid bone | Bone at the roof of the nose. | Ethmoid bone is located at the roof of the nose.
It separates the nasal cavity from the brain.
It is a very delicate bone and is easily injured. |
| Maxilla | Bone in the upper jaw. | Maxilla is the upper jaw bone. It is somewhat pyramidal in shape and has a large cavity called the maxillary sinus. |
| Mandible | Bone in the lower jaw. | Mandible forms the lower jaw.
Mandible is the largest and the strongest facial bone. |
| Stapes (Stirrup) | Bone at the outermost region of the middle ear. | Stapes is situated in the middle ear.
It is the smallest bone of the human skeleton.
It is only 0.25 to 0.33 cm long and weighs 2 to 4.3 mg. |
| Hyoid bone | Bone in the neck region. | Hyoid bone is situated in the neck. It supports the root of the tongue.
It is the only bone that does not articulate with any other bone. |
| Clavicle | Bone in the collar region. | Clavicle is a slender rod-shaped bone located in the collar region.
It is also called as the collar bone. |
| Scapula | Bone at the posterior part of the shoulder girdle. | Scapula is a large, triangular and flat bone which forms the posterior part of the pectoral (shoulder) girdle.
It is also known as the shoulder blade. |
| Sternum (Breast bone) | Bone at the centre of the thorax. | Sternum is located at the centre of the thorax, i.e., the chest.
It is a dagger-shaped bone that along with the ribs, forms the rib cage. |
| Humerus | Bone in the upper arm. | Humerus is located in the upper arm.
The head of the humerus fits into the glenoid cavity of the pectoral girdle to form a ball and socket joint. |
| Radius | Bone at the lateral side of the forearm. | Radius is the bone located at the lateral side of the forearm.
Radius along with Ulna constitutes the forearm. |
| Ulna | Bone at the medial side of the forearm aligned with the little finger. | Ulna is located at the medial side of the forearm. It is aligned with the little finger.
Ulna along with Radius constitutes the forearm. |
| Carpals | Bones in the wrist region. | Carpals are located in the wrist region.
There are 8 nodule-like bones called carpals in the wrist region. |
| Metacarpals | Bones in the palm region. | Metacarpals are 5 small rod-shaped bones located in the palm region. |
| Femur | Bone in the thigh region. | Femur is located in the thigh region.
The head of the femur fits into the acetabulum of the pelvic girdle to form a ball and socket joint.
It is the longest and the heaviest bone.
It supports the weight of the body. |
| Patella | Bone in front of the knee joint. | Patella is located in front of the knee joint.
It is commonly known as the kneecap.
It protects and covers the knee joint. |
| Tibia | Bone in the shin region. | Tibia is located in the shin region of the leg.
Tibia along with Fibula constitutes the lower leg.
Tibia is the larger of the two bones. |
| Fibula | Bone in the calf region. | Fibula is located in the calf region of the leg.
Fibula along with Tibia constitutes the lower leg. |
| Calcaneus | Bone at the heel. | Calcaneus is a large bone located at the heel.
It is also known as the heel bone.
It is more or less rectangular in shape. |
| Tarsals | Bones in the ankle. | Tarsals are located in the ankle.
There are 7 tarsal bones in the ankle. Calcaneus is the largest tarsal bone which constitutes the heel. |
| Metatarsals | Bones in the foot. | Metatarsals are 5 long rod-shaped bones.
They are located between the tarsals and the phalanges.
Metacarpals of hand are analogous to metatarsals of foot. |
| Phalanges | Bones in the fingers and toes. | Phalanges are the bones in the fingers and toes.
There are 14 phalanges in the fingers of the hand. The thumb has 2 phalanges whereas other fingers have 3 phalanges each.
There are 14 phalanges in the toes. The big toe has 2 phalanges whereas other toes have 3 phalanges each. |
