Osteology List

     The following list contains the basic bones, structures, and landmarks that will be referred to during the Forensic Osteology Workshop.  If you are not already familiar with these terms, please spend some time learning or reviewing them at the websites listed previously.   

Appendicular Skeleton

 Upper Extremities

•    Clavicle (collar bone)

•    Scapula (shoulder blade)

scapular spine

glenoid fossa (cavity)

•    Humerus (upper arm bone)

head

anatomical neck

greater & lesser tubercles                                             

          medial & lateral epicondyle

•    Ulna (medial forearm bone)        

•    Radius (lateral forearm bone)          

•    Carpals (bones of the wrist - 8)

•    Metacarpals (bones of the hand - 5)

•    Phalanges (finger bones - 14)

Appendicular Skeleton

Lower Extremities

•    Os Coxae (hip bone) - consists of three bones, ilium, ischium, and pubis, which have grown together to form a single bone.  Be sure you can identify these three bones.  They all join in a depression called the acetabulum, which is also where the head of the femur resides.

•    Ilium

iliac crest

                   anterior superior iliac spine

greater sciatic notch

 •   Ischium

                    ischial tuberosity

•    Pubis 

•    Femur (thigh bone)

                    head

                    neck

greater & lesser trochanter

medial & lateral condyle

•    Patella (knee cap)

•    Tibia (medial leg bone)

•    Fibula (lateral leg bone)

•    Tarsals (ankle bones - 7)

•    Calcaneus (heel bone/one of the tarsal bones)

•    Metatarsals (foot bones - 5)

•    Phalanges (toe bones - 14)

Axial Skeleton

Composed of 80 bones:  29 in the head, 25 in the thorax, and 26 in the vertebral column.    The head bones include 22 skull bones (of which 8 are cranial and 14 are facial), 6 ear ossicles, and one hyoid.  (No – you won’t need to know these numbers!)

    •    Hyoid – the only non-articular bone in the body, i.e., it doesn’t touch or form a joint with any other bone.  It  is more so a bone of the neck, but is oftentimes listed with the skull bones.  It is commonly fractured in strangulations.

   •    Skull (cranium & face) – only those names with an (*) will be tested on for this course.

        •    Frontal (1)

        •    Parietal (2)

        •    Occipital (1)

                foramen magnum

        •    Temporal (2)

                 mastoid process

                external auditory meatus

        •    Sphenoid (1)

        •    Zygomatic (2)

                zygomatic arch

        •    Maxilla (2)

        •    Mandible (1)

        •    Nasal (2)        

        •    Lacrimal (2)

        •    Ethmoid (1)

        •    Vomer (1)

        •    Palatine (2)

    •    Vertebrae

    body

    spinous process                                                                                    

    transverse process

    vertebral foramen

    •    Cervical vertebrae (C1-C7)

    the first cervical vertebra is the atlas

    the second cervical vertebra is the axis

             dens (odontoid process)

    •    Thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12)

                articular facets ( areas of transverse processes that articulate with tubercle of ribs)

    •    Lumbar vertebrae  (L1-L5)

    •    Sacrum (five fused sacral vertebrae)

    •    Coccyx (three to five fused coccygeal vertebrae)

    •    Ribs (12 pairs -- upper 7 are "true", lower 5 are "false”) The last two pairs of false ribs are called "floating" ribs.

    •    Sternum (breast bone)