Means the hard bone which forms the framework of the body of vertebrates, with the exception of certain fish, which holds the soft tissues. The adult human skeleton consists of 206 bones, less than the child, because many of them are soldered in adolescence. The skeletal system consists of the axial skeleton, which forms the axis of the body, skull, spine, sternum and ribs, and the appendicular skeleton, consisting of the bones of the extremities. The latter is formed by the upper and lower limbs. In the first are the bones of the shoulder (clavicle and scapula), the arm (humerus), forearm (radius and ulna) and hand (27 bones distributed in the carpal, metacarpal and phalanges). In the lower extremities are distinguished, in addition to the hip bone (coxal) the femur - which is the longest in the body, the patella, tibia, fibula and foot (26 meeting tarsal bones, metatarsal and falalnges). The bones are joined by joints and ligaments.
They consist of calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, sulphate and fluoride, among others, that provide hardness. But they are also resilient because of certain substances that form them, such as collagen and elastin.
In man we can distinguish three types of bones: the short bones such as vertebrae, long bones like the femur and the flat bones such as scapula.