Both the axial and the appendicular skeleton are divisions of the human skeletal system. The axial skeleton consists of the bones which form the longitudinal axis of the human body while the appendicular is comprised of bones of the girdles and limbs.
The axial skeleton consists of the vertebral column, the skull, and the bony thorax. Skull is basically formed by the cranial and facial bones. There are eight cranial bones that serve the purpose of rendering protection to the brain. The vertebral column is actually formed from a number of vertebrae, which is twenty-four, and there are seven cervical vertebrae, twelve thoracics, and five lumbar vertebrae. The shoulder girdle is consists of two bones, which are the scapular and clavicle, which attach the upper limbs to the axial skeleton. The upper limbs' bones are the arm humerus, the ulna of the forearm, carpals and metacarpals, the radius, and the hand phalanges.