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Concept
Skeleton
Summary
A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body, and the hydroskeleton, a flexible internal skeleton supported by fluid pressure. Vertebrates are animals with a vertebral column, and their skeletons are typically composed of bone and cartilage. Invertebrates are animals that lack a vertebral column. The skeletons of invertebrates vary, including hard exoskeleton shells, plated endoskeletons, or spicules. Cartilage is a rigid connective tissue that is found in the skeletal systems of vertebrates and invertebrates.
The term skeleton comes . Sceleton is an archaic form of the word.
Skeletons can be defined by several attributes. Solid skeletons consist of hard substances, such as bone, cartilage, or cuticle. These can be further divided by location; internal skeletons are endoskeletons, and external skeletons are exoskeletons. Skeletons may also be defined by rigidity, where pliant skeletons are more elastic than rigid skeletons. Fluid or hydrostatic skeletons do not have hard structure like solid skeletons, instead functioning via pressurized fluids. Hydrostatic skeletons are always internal.
Exoskeleton
Exoskeletons are external skeletons that cover the body of an animal, serving as armor to protect an animal from predators. Arthropods have exoskeletons that encase their bodies and have to undergo periodic moulting or ecdysis as the animal grows. The shells of molluscs are another form of exoskeleton. Exoskeletons provide a surface for the attachment of muscles, and specialized appendanges of the exoskeleton can assist with movement and defense. In arthropods, the exoskeleton also assists with sensory perception.
An external skeleton can be quite heavy in relation to the overall mass of an animal, so on land, organisms that have an exoskeleton are mostly relatively small.
Official source
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