Skeleton
. Skeleton (anatomy), term applied to all the rigid or semirigid structures supporting the soft tissues of an animal's body and providing leverage for muscular action. In vertebrates, the skeleton is known as the endoskeleton and is formed within the body. Some invertebrate animals, such as insects and crustaceans, have skeletons known as exoskeletons on the outside of the body. EXOSKELETON A form of exoskeleton is the shell of calcium or silica secreted by certain protozoans known as foraminiferans. Commercial sponges have an exoskeleton consisting of spongin, which is a tough, elastic substance. Cnidarians secrete a wide variety of exoskeletal substances, ranging from the elastic covering of the jellyfish to the stony material deposited by coral. The familiar shells of most mollusks are composed of calcium carbonate and an organic ground substance known as conchiolin. Among insects, each of the three principal divisions of the body—the head, the thorax, and the abdomen—is enclose...