Why Is Our Skeleton On the Inside?

↓ More info and sources below ↓

Having bones is pretty cool. They make our blood, let us hear, and keep us from being just a squishy puddle on the floor. But for every species with bones, there are at least 20 species on Earth with exoskeletons instead. And those exoskeleton animals are incredibly tough and strong. So why don’t WE have our skeletons on the outside? This is the story of bones!

Special thanks for research assistance:
Riley Black

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[besmart]

Why do some animals have exoskeletons and some have internal skeletons? This question popped into my head one day and the answer turned out to be more interesting than I could have imagined. Skeletons are amazing. Let me know what you thought of the video! I'm on Twitter & Instagram @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart

[petrfedor]

Evolution: Would you like to have skeleton inside or outside.
Turtles: Yes.

[RastaLlama]

"life remained squishy for a while" oh how I wish my biology teacher talked the way u did to me

[MrSnakekaplan]

The ironic part of the intro is that Strongman competitions do have plane pulling and Thor won the 2016 plane pull event.

[jaschabull]

I actually recall hearing from my Vertebrate Zoology professor that the exoskeletons of ancient vertebrates may actually have mainly functioned as calcium sinks to allow for calcium use in cellular functions, and it became repurposed for skeletal functions, which is pretty cool.

Also, vertebrates aren't the only animals who turned inside out like this. Keepers of pet birds may recall the cuttlebones sometimes given to them in their cages. Apparently those internal "bones" cuttlefish have are actually the equivalent of the shells of nautilus/ammonites, so cephalopods put their shells on the inside as well. I've even heard of some cephalopod species which use these internal shells as muscle attachments, meaning they actually do have skeletal bones (albeit very few of them), which is pretty neat.

[calmc]

Exoskeleton:
-Insane strength
-less pain
-sturdy
-difficulty in uprighting oneself upon flipping
-slow
-permanently damaged exo armor

Skeleton
-extra dynamic and fluent mobility
-lighter body
-amplified pain
-squishy externals
-regenerable external armor
-more room for modifications

[MarkRober]

This was really well written Joe. I loved how you phrased certain parts.

[SlowerIsFaster]

Biology was my favorite class in school. The thought of a completely different evolution just makes the mind wander haha. It's a fun thing to think about

[LETSROCKTA]

Thing to note: it is not merely a problem of skeleton vs exoskeleton. Insects and smaller/lighter animals can lift so much more than their weight/ jump higher than their height because of how gravity works.
The heavier the mass of an object the more it is « pulled » by gravity.
If we were the same size as ants chances are we’d be able pull objects just the way they do.

[justsomeguywithtattoos]

Evolution: Do you want skeleton inside or outside?
Sharks: no

[namansoood]

"you're just meat, in a sack, tied to a bunch of carefully organized rocks"

Existential crisis: *"heya imma here"*

[bengll]

0:02 This man can lift a polar bear.
A monster

[mvdterw]

7:10 "I'm so tried of nachos " 😂😅

[-kami-]

Me: Imma go to sleep
Youtube: Why do you have skeleton

[sakurahertz]

I wouldn’t attempt to arm wrestle that chimera ant if I were you

[gavinlamp]

"Why is our skeleton on the inside?"
So we don't scare ourselves when we look in the mirror

[johnlynch]

4:44 Yah but growing pains come from growth spurts and those hurt. I believe these are the bones getting bigger, stretching and it hurts, for a spell. I think there is a tradeoff. they, insects and such, get to lift objects many times their size and weight and we get to be human.

[Goldenstu]

Plot twist: humans are actually meat mechas being piloted by an advanced organic A.I. wich weighs roughly 3 pounds....

[east]

Exoskeleton: Strength and Defense.
Skeleton: Flexibility and Mobility.

[Mrbitaddict]

I swear that little animation of the Mountain waddling around cracked me up real good