The 206 bones of your body protect and support your organs and allow movement. Bones are living, changing structures that require adequate calcium and weight-bearing exercise to build and maintain their density and strength. Bones are joined together by different types of joints: fixed joints (as in the skull), hinged joints (as in the fingers), and ball-and-socket joints (as in the shoulders and hips). The male and female skeletons are not quite identical.
Females have lighter bones in their arms and legs, their elbow joint has a different angle, and the female pelvis is broader and has a larger space in the middle to allow a baby to pass through during childbirth.