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Phalanx bones




    The name Phalanx (plural phalanges) is commonly given to the bones that form fingers and toes. In primates such as humans and monkeys, the thumb and big toe have two phalanges, while the other fingers and toes consist of three. Phalanges are classified as long bones.

The phalanx do not really have individual names but are named after the digit, and their distance from the body.

The term phalanx or phalanges refers to an ancient Greek army formation in which soldiers stand side by side, several rows deep, like an arrangement of fingers or toes.

The number of phalanges in animals is often expressed as a phalangeal formula, that indicates the numbers of phalanges in digits (beginning from medial), e.g. human has the formula 2-3-3-3-3, a deer has the formula 3-3 and most lizards have the formula 2-3-4-5-4.

Additional images

References

  • MedTerms.com Medical Dictionary

See also

  • Phalanges of the foot
  • Phalanges of the hand
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Phalanx_bones". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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