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 939d750d5b328740c6ff72a1008a6630--human-anatomy-human-skeleton-anatomy

Human 939d750d5b328740c6ff72a1008a6630--human-anatomy-human-skeleton-anatomy

Human 939d750d5b328740c6ff72a1008a6630--human-anatomy-human-skeleton-anatomy

Human 939d750d5b328740c6ff72a1008a6630--human-anatomy-human-skeleton-anatomy

Reptile 023-sleleton-of-a-crocodile

Amphibian download-1

Fish download

Bird download-2