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The **axial skeleton** of an adult consists of 80 bones, including the skull, vertebral column and thoracic cage. The skull is composed of 22 bones, along with seven additional bones associated with the head, which include the hyoid bone and the ear ossicles (three small bones located in each middle ear). The vertebral column contains 24 individual vertebrae, plus the sacrum and coccyx. The thoracic cage is formed by the 12 pairs of ribs and the sternum, a flat bone at the front of the chest. The **appendicular skeleton** comprises all bones of the upper and lower limbs, along with the bones that anchor each limb to the axial skeleton. There are 126 bones in the appendicular skeleton of an adult. *LICENSES AND ATTRIBUTIONS CC licensed content, Shared previously, Donna Browne, Skeletal System Module 7: Divisions of the Skeletal System, Authored by: OpenStax College. License: CC BY: Attribution. License Terms: Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/aSS4VxD4@1/Skeletal-System-Module-7-Divis*
