Skeletal system

Skeletal systems are commonly divided into three types—external (an exoskeleton), internal (an endoskeleton), and fluid based (a hydrostatic skeleton), although hydrostatic skeletal systems may be classified separately from the other two, because they lack hardened support structures. An internal skeletal system consists of rigid or semi-rigid structures, within the body, moved by the muscular system. If the structures are mineralized or ossified, as they are in humans and other mammals, they are referred to as bones. Cartilage is another common component of skeletal systems, supporting and supplementing the skeleton. The human ear and nose are shaped by cartilage. Some organisms have a skeleton consisting entirely of cartilage and without any calcified bones at all, for example sharks. The bones or other rigid structures are connected by ligaments and connected to the muscular system via tendons.