Overview of the Axial Skeleton

The axial and appendicular skeletons are the two divisions of the skeletal system.

The skull,  the thoracic cage, and the vertebral column form the axial skeleton, which provides support, protection, and upright posture.

The skull contains eight cranial bones enclosing the brain and fourteen facial bones providing a framework for the face.

In addition, six auditory ossicles– the small bones in the middle ear involved in hearing and the single suspended hyoid bone supporting the voice box are associated with the skull.

From the base of the skull extends the vertebral column, containing twenty-six vertebrae, which protect the spinal cord, separated by intervertebral discs.

The vertebral column begins with seven cervical vertebrae, followed by twelve thoracic and five lumbar vertebrae, and ends with the sacrum and the coccyx.

The thoracic cage, which protects the heart and the lungs, consists of twelve pairs of ribs with their costal cartilage and the sternum.