The Body's Bony Frame

The Body's Bony Frame About 206 bones make up the human skeleton. Twenty-nine are found in the skull, which houses and protects the brain, eyes and ears. The skull rests at the top of a flexible rod of twenty-six vertebral bones forming the spine. In the lower back, five vertebrae fuse during childhood to form the sacrum. The rib cage and sternum, twenty-five bones in all, shield the heart and lungs. The pectoral girdle and hand account for sixty-four bones, and there are sixty-two in the pelvic girdle, legs and feet.