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Differences between Female and Male Skeleton

Mass

In general, male skeletons are larger and heavier than female skeletons. Most

experts, however, would say that skeletal mass alone would not be a very accurate

basis for determining whether a particular skeleton is male or female. There are, after 

all, tall women and short men. To make the comparison more meaningful,

differentiations of size and weight should be made within the context of racial groups,

e.g. Caucasoid male skeleton versus Caucasoid female skeleton.

Limbs

 nother general difference between male and female skeletons can be observed

in the limbs. The humerus, ulna and radius, which are the ma!or bones that comprise

most of the arm, are thicker and longer in men. The phalanges""the bones that comprise

the fingers""are also bigger, which is why most men have bigger hands than women.The same goes for the lower limbs, which are supported by the femur, tibla and fibula

bones""all typically longer in men.

Skull

Male and female skulls also show significant differences in structure. The small

bulge at the back of the head known as the external occipital protuberance is usually

more pronounced in men. The male !awbone or mandible is typically angular and

s#uare"shaped at the chin area, while the female !awbone tends to be more rounded

and pointed. The brow ridges of men are often more prominent than those of women.

These distinctions in cranial and facial features underlie the basic difference betweenmen$s and women$s faces.

Pelvis

The ma!or difference between female and male skeletons is in the pelvis, which

is due to another ma!or difference between men and women""childbirth. The female

pelvis is smaller, shallower and wider, and the cavity is more circular in shape. The

coccyx or tailbone, which is the last bone of the spinal column, is more movable in

female skeletons. The sacrum, which is a triangle"shaped bone also at the end of the

spine and connected to the pelvis, is wider and flatter in females. ll these distinctions

contribute to the process of childbirth, particularly allowing for the head and shoulders of the child to pass through the cavity.

Bone Development

The differences in male and female skeletons are due in part to the hormones

that affect bone development. Testosterone is the primary influence that shapes men$s

bones, while estrogen has a greater effect on women$s bone development. %rom

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infancy, both men and women have relatively malleable bone cartilage, called

epiphyseal plates, that grow and become firm and solid when they reach a certain age.

The high levels of estrogen that happen during female puberty cause an earlier closure

of these particular cartilages. t around the age of &', women$s bones are already set,

while male bone development ends at around age (&, allowing men more time to gain

bone mass.

TRIVIS B!"T B!#$S

• More than half of the bones in the human body are in the hands and feet.

• The smallest bone in the human body is the stirrup bone inside the ear. It

is smaller than a grain of rice.

• The thigh bone, or )femur* is the strongest, heaviest, and longest bone in

the human body.

• +umans and giraffes have the same number of bones in their necks.• very minute, the bone marrow in your body produces about one hundred

million red blood cells.

• If one of your ribs needs to be removed, it can regenerate itself withinthree

months.