The Axial Skeleton is also known as the central skeleton or the skeleton of the trunk. It includes the cranium, the tiny hyoid bone in the neck, the vertebral column and the thorax – that is, the skull, spine and chest.
This area of the skeletal system has two main functions; it is designed to both protect and support the internal organs.
The axial skeleton allows some movement within it but is less flexible than the regions of the body which form the appendicular skeleton.