Because so many animals have an endoskeleton, you might guess that having an endoskeleton helps vertebrate animals survive--and you would be right! Let's see how by taking a closer look at how the skeleton provides an organism with support, movement, and protection. Click each tab below to compare these three important functions of the skeletal system.

The skeleton of this swordfish gives the animal a distinctive shape.

First, the skeletal system functions to provide shape and support. Your height and build are determined by your skeleton. Your spine (vertebral column) gives you the ability to stand upright. In other animals, the skeleton supports the body's shape, whether the animal is meant to live on land or in water.

The bones in this bird's wing provide a framework for muscle attachment.

Second, the skeletal system is important for movement. Recall that because all vertebrates have bilateral symmetry, they also have paired appendages like limbs, fins, and wings. The bones in these appendages help animals to walk, run, swim, or fly because they provide a framework for muscle attachment. The animal's system of muscles then moves the animal through its environment.

The skeleton provides protection for important internal organs like the brain and spinal cord.

Third, the skeleton provides protection for many of the body's important organs. Think about the organs that make life possible. Many of them are enclosed in parts of the skeletal system. For example, the heart and lungs are encased in the rib cage, and the brain and spinal cord are surround by a thick skull and bony vertebral column.

You've learned about major functions of a vertebrate's skeletal system--but they are not the only functions of these organisms. Test your knowledge of what you have learned so far by completing the activity below.