Comparative Anatomy: Skeletal System
Humans vs. Fish
Humans vs. Birds
Humans vs. Reptiles
Humans vs. Amphibians
Human Skeletal System Summary:
Function: Support, protection, movement, storage, growth, and development
Location: Skull, hyoid and auditory ossicles, vertebrae, ribs and sternum, pectoral girdle and upper limb, pelvic girdle and lower limb
Structure: Metaphysis, hyaline cartilage, articular cartilage
Fish Skeletal System Summary:
Function: Enables them to be good swimmers
Location: Vertebral column, jaw, ribs, cranium, and intramuscular bones
Structure: Either composed of thin and flexible cartilage or hard calcified bones or both
Compare/Contrast:
Similarity: Both are made of cartilage
Difference: Main objective for human skeletal system is movement, not swimming
Human Skeletal System Summary:
Bird Skeletal System Summary:
Compare/Contrast:
Function: Provide movement and flexibility for various distances
Location: Skull, neck, thorax and sternum, pectoral girdle, pelvic girdle, wing, leg and foot
Structure: Made of mostly thin and hollow bones
Function: Support, protection, movement, storage, growth, and development
Location: Skull, hyoid and auditory ossicles, vertebrae, ribs and sternum, pectoral girdle and upper limb, pelvic girdle and lower limb
Structure: Metaphysis, hyaline cartilage, articular cartilage
Similarity: Both enable movement
Difference: Bird bones are mostly hollow
Human Skeletal System Summary:
Function: Support, protection, movement, storage, growth, and development
Location: Skull, hyoid and auditory ossicles, vertebrae, ribs and sternum, pectoral girdle and upper limb, pelvic girdle and lower limb
Structure: Metaphysis, hyaline cartilage, articular cartilage
Reptile Skeletal System Summary:
Compare/Contrast:
Similarity: Both systems contain cartilage
Difference: Human skeleton doesn't contain external tail
Function: Resovoir for key minerals, levers, protection, body armor
Location: Skull, axial skeleton, appendicular skeleton, joints, epiphyses, tail autotomy and generation
Structure: Cartilage replacement, deposition of periosteal bone around the cortical compact bone, and intramembranous condensations of bone
Human Skeletal System Summary:
Function: Support, protection, movement, storage, growth, and development
Location: Skull, hyoid and auditory ossicles, vertebrae, ribs and sternum, pectoral girdle and upper limb, pelvic girdle and lower limb
Structure: Metaphysis, hyaline cartilage, articular cartilage
Amphibian Skeletal System Summary:
Function: Provide structure for movement, especially leaping
Location: Inner skeleton and backbone
Structure: Skull is flat, nine vertebrae make up backbone, no ribs
Compare/Contrast:
Similarity: Both provide structure for movement
Difference: Some amphibians have no ribs
Human
Human
Human
Human
Reptile
Amphibian
Fish
Bird