The human skeleton in 3D

Parts of the skeleton

The axial skeleton has 80 bones: the skull with the ossicles of the ear, the hyoid bone, the vertebral column, the ribs and the sternum. It protects the brain, spinal cord, heart and lungs. The appendicular skeleton has 126 bones: the clavicles and scapulae of the shoulder girdle, the bones of the arms and hands, the hip bones and the bones of the legs and feet.

Bones meet at joints of different types: fibrous sutures in the skull, cartilaginous joints such as the intervertebral discs and the pubic symphysis, and freely movable synovial joints such as the shoulder, hip and knee.

What the 3D model shows

The model shows the skeleton of the whole body on both sides: the bones of the cranium and face with the mandible and teeth, the hyoid bone and the cartilages of the larynx, the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae with their intervertebral discs, the sacrum, the twelve pairs of ribs with their costal cartilages, the manubrium, body and xiphoid process of the sternum, and the bones of both arms and legs down to the phalanges. Some bones and cartilages are split into several parts, so the viewer's part count is higher than the 206-bone total.

How to study the skeleton

Start in the anterior view and divide the skeleton into its axial and appendicular parts. Isolate the vertebral column and turn to the lateral view, where the cervical and lumbar curves are visible, and count the vertebrae of each region. Then explode the skeleton into separate pieces and reassemble one region at a time: skull, thorax, pelvis, limbs. Search a bone by name when you cannot place it. Testing yourself on one region a day and returning to it a few days later builds lasting recall.