pneumatic bones
Air-filled avian skeleton
Pneumatic bones are hollow bones containing air-filled cavities connected to the respiratory system.
Found in birds and some dinosaurs, these bones reduce weight while maintaining structural strength—an essential adaptation for flight.
In birds, the air sacs within pneumatic bones connect to the lungs, forming part of their uniquely efficient respiratory system.
- aerodynamicMinimizing drag through shape
- air sacsGas-exchange lung cavities
- hollowEmpty within
- hollow bonesAir-filled skeletal structure
- air spacesEmpty volumes within material
flight · taking flight · lightweight · skeleton · soaring · diverticula · birds · gliding · pterosaur · osteology · bird bones · Archaeopteryx · medullary cavity · theropod · buoyancy · cavity · sinus · marrow