Unit 7 Reflection: The Skeletal System

This unit revolved around the skeletal system both as a protective structure and important provider for nutrients. There are two locations of bones, axial bones are base, supportive bones going down the vertical axis of the body. Appendicular bones extend from the axial bones, such as appendages.

There are 206 bones in the human body, but the basic structure of every bone is the same. Bones are made of compact and spongy bone. The compact protects the outer layer of the bone, and the spongy layer has many open spaces. They contain calcium and collagen that makes bones hard and flexible.

Bone remodeling occurs everyday in order to maintain bone strength and help. osteocytes are mature bone cells that control the breaking and building of bone cells. The osteoblasts are bone forming cells, and the osteoclasts destroy them.

In the owl pellet lab, we were able to see how the bones of rodents differ from human bones. Although there are many similarities, there are also differences that allow rodents to adapt to their environment such as a larger and longer jaw to consume prey.


Joints connect our bones in several different ways. Diarthroses joints are freely movable, synarthroses are immovable and amphiarthroses are slightly movable.