Editing Axial skeleton (section)

{{short description|The Part of the skeleton that consists of the bones of the head and trunk of a vertebrate}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name        = Axial skeleton
| Latin       = skeleton axiale
| Image       = Axial_skeleton_diagram.svg
| Caption     = Diagram of the axial skeleton
| Image2      =
| Caption2    =
| Precursor   =
| System      =
| Artery      =
| Vein        =
| Nerve       =
| Lymph       =
}}
[[File:3D Medical Animation Axial Skeleton.jpg|alt=3D Medical Animation still shot of Human Skull|thumb|260x260px|3D medical animation still shot of human skull]]
The '''axial skeleton''' is the [[core (anatomy)|core]] part of the [[endoskeleton]] made of the [[bone]]s of the [[head]] and [[trunk (anatomy)|trunk]] of [[vertebrate]]s. In the [[human skeleton]], it consists of 80 bones and is composed of the [[human skull|skull]] (28 bones, including the [[cranium]], [[mandible]] and the [[middle ear]] [[ossicles]]), the [[vertebral column]] (26 bones, including [[vertebra]]e, [[sacrum]] and [[coccyx]]), the [[rib cage]] (25 bones, including [[rib]]s and [[sternum]]), and the [[hyoid bone]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Folkens|first1=Tim D. White, Michael T. Black, Pieter A.|last2=Pierter|first2=Folkens|last3=Michael|first3=Black|title=Human osteology|date=2012|publisher=Elsevier/Academic Press|location=Amsterdam|isbn=978-0-12-374134-9|page=11|edition=3rd}}</ref> The axial skeleton is [[joint|joined]] to the [[appendicular skeleton]] (which support the [[limb (anatomy)|limb]]s) via the [[shoulder girdle]]s and the [[pelvis]].