Contents
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 2
Meaning
The skeleton is a group of bones that support an animal and help it move.
About Skeletons
- The skeleton is made up of all the bones in an animal.
- Muscles are attached to the bones in the skeleton that allows us to move.
- The rib cage is part of the skeleton and this protects the heart and lungs.
- The skull is part of the skeleton and this protects our brain.
- Without a skeleton our bodies would be like jelly and we wouldn't be able to stand up or move about easily.
Animal Skeletons
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| An elephant's skeleton showing the bones and tusks. Notice the trunk has no bones inside it. | A fish has a Backbone as part of its skeleton. |
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| A crab has an exo-skeleton which means its skeleton is on the outside, not the inside of its body. | A dolphin's skeleton. |
Animals Without Skeletons
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| An octopus does not have a skeleton and just uses muscles to move underwater. | An octopus cannot move easily on land because it has no skeleton to support it. |
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| A jellyfish is an animal that has no bones. It moves in water with its muscles. | When a jellyfish gets washed up on the beach it cannot move because it has no skeleton to support it. |
Key Stage 3
The skeletal system is an organ system in animals made of bones that work together to help the animal move and protect the vital organs.