How many bones are in the adult human skeleton?

• A. 206 bones
• B. 208 bones
• C. 210 bones
• D. 212 bones

Answer: (A)

The number of bones in an adult skeleton is 206. At birth there are about 270 bones, but many fuse during growth—especially in the skull and along the spine—so the typical adult count settles at 206. About 80 bones are in the axial skeleton (skull, spine, rib cage, sternum, hyoid, and auditory ossicles) and 126 are in the appendicular skeleton (the limbs and girdles). Variations can occur with extra bones (supernumerary ribs or small accessory bones) or different fusion patterns, but 206 is the standard teaching number.