Zoology · Ch 9 — Locomotion and Movement
The Axial skeleton
9.9
The Axial skeleton
The Axial skeleton
The axial skeleton forms the central, vertical axis of the body and consists of 80 bones across four regions: the skull, the hyoid bone, the vertebral column, and the thoracic cage (sternum + ribs). Together these bones enclose and protect the brain, spinal cord, heart and lungs, while also anchoring the head, trunk musculature and the appendicular ske …