Classification of bones | Skeletal, Cranial, Facial Bones

Anatomy & Physiology 12

Long bones

Ex: Arm bones, hand bones, leg bones.

Longer than they are wide.

Short bones

Ex: Carpals, tarsals
More cube-shaped.

Sesamoid bones

Ex: Knee cap (patella)
A special type of short bone.

Flat/thin bones

Ex: Sternum, scapula, ribs, ilium, cranial bones in the skull
Often have a bit of a curve, Has a large surface area for attaching to muscles.

Irregular bones

Ex: Hip bones, vertebrae, sacrum, coccyx, sphenoid bone, ethmoid bone
Everything else that does not fit other classifications. Has a specialized shape and structure.

Frontal bone

Anterior wall of the cranium

Parietal bones

superior and lateral walls of the cranium

Occipital bone

posterior and inferior wall of the cranium

Temporal bones

Interior and lateral walls of the cranium

Sphenoid bone

Butterfly shaped bone found in the middle of the cranium; visible in the temples and back of the eye socket (AKA Orbit)

Ethmoid bone

Between the sphenoid bone and bones of the nose; deepest bone of the skull. Forms part of the nasal cavity and orbits.

Nasal bones

Forms the bridge of the nose

Maxillae

Upper jawbone; all facial bones (except for mandible) touch it; also forms anterior portion of the hard palate

Lacrimal bones

Smallest bones of the face; found in interior corner of each orbit.

Mandible

Lower jawbone; largest and strongest bone of the face; only bone of the skull that can move

Zygomatic bones

Commonly called the cheekbones; also make up the inferior and lateral walls of the orbits

Vomer bone

Together with the ethmoid bone, forms the nasal septum

Palatine bones

Forms the posterior portion of the hard palate

Inferior nasal conche

Curved bones that project from the lateral walls of the nasal cavity.

appendicular bones

Limbs and their supporting girdles

Axial bones

skull, vertebral column, rib cage, hyoid bone, bones of middle ear