What is the difference between the appendicular skeleton & the axial skeleton?
The term “appendicular skeleton” refers to the bones of our appendages — the arms & legs — & the bones that attach them to the other major division of the skeletal system, the axial skeleton. The appendicular skeleton’s upper portion includes all the bones of the arms and hands plus the pectoral girdle, which is formed by the collar bone (clavicle) and the shoulder blade (scapula). The appendicular skeleton’s lower portion includes all bones of the legs & feet plus the pelvic girdle, which attaches the lower appendages to the axial skeleton at the sacrum. The axial skeleton is composed of the entire vertebral column including the sacrum & tailbone (coccyx), the skull, the ribs & sternum, and the hyoid bone which is located under the lower jaw. 2. What are the primary & secondary curvatures of the vertebral column? Primary curvatures are the ones we are born with and that will continue to be present into adulthood. If you think of the position a fetus is in before it’s born, you think
