Appendicular skeleton

The appendicular skeleton is the portion of the vertebrate endoskeleton consisting of the bones and cartilages that support the paired appendages (fins, flippers or limbs). In most terrestrial vertebrates (except snakes, legless lizards and caecillians), the appendicular skeleton and the associated skeletal muscles are the predominant locomotive structures.

There are 126 bones in the human appendicular skeleton, includes the skeletal elements within the shoulder and pelvic girdles, upper and lower limbs, and hands and feet. These bones are homologous to those in the forelimbs and hindlimbs of all other tetrapods.