Lab 6: The Appendicular Skeleton

Before you come to lab:

1. Familiarize yourself with the bones of the appendicular skeleton.
2. Formulate a list (a mental list is fine) of any axial skeleton bones that you wish to review.
   • These bones, as well as the slides, the baked/acid-treated bone, the sawed bone and the compact bone model are all available to you again this week.

During the lab period (can be completed in any order):

1. Your lab group has been given either a trunk or a box of bones.
   • Start by separating the bones into two piles: axial or appendicular.
     • If you need help, use one of the skeletons in the lab.
     • The skeletons will be available during the lab exam.
   • Further break down the appendicular pile into the following groups:
     • pectoral girdle bones
     • upper limb bones
     • pelvic girdle bones
     • lower limb bones
   • Make sure that you can identify the following bones. I suggest that you routinely quiz each other on the bones.
     • pectoral girdle bones
       • scapula
       • clavicle
     • upper limb bones
       • humerus
       • radius
       • ulna
       • metacarpals (as a group)
     • pelvic bones (coxal bones)
       • These are hard to make sense of when they have been disarticulated from each other.
       • Try to find the ilium, pubic bone and ischium.
     • lower limb bones
       • femur
       • patella (kneecap)
       • tibia
       • fibula
       • calcaneus
       • talus
       • metatarsals (as a group)
2. Use the two pelves provided to distinguish the difference between male and female.
   • These are the articulated pelves that are stored in the blue cardboard boxes.
   • ♂ = male; ♀ = female
   • Suggestions:
     • Note the differences in the pubic arch.
     • Note the differences in the size of the true pelvis.
   • Try to determine whether the skeletons in the lab are male or female.
     • One of them is difficult to tell. It’s probably a child’s skeleton, and the gender differences don’t usually show up until puberty.

Before the next lab period:

1. Learn the bone markings.
   • This can only be accomplished once you have mastered the names of the bones, so make sure you know all of the bones by name first.
   • All of the material that you need to know is summarized on the Lab Exam 1 Review Sheet.
2. Begin to review previous lab topics, incl. tissues in your Histology Notebook.
3. The next lab is Lab Exam 1!