Carpals vs tarsals: how they differ, in 3D
The carpals are the eight small bones of the wrist, set in two rows of four, and the tarsals are the seven bones of the ankle and the back half of the foot. The carpals help the fine movements of the hand, while the tarsals are larger and stronger to carry body weight, the heel bone (calcaneus) being the largest of them.
Frequently asked questions
What are the eight carpal bones?
From the thumb side, the near row is the scaphoid, lunate, triquetral and pisiform, and the far row is the trapezium, trapezoid, capitate and hamate.
What are the seven tarsal bones?
The seven tarsal bones are the talus, the calcaneus, the navicular, the cuboid and the three cuneiform bones (medial, intermediate and lateral).
Which are the largest carpal and tarsal bones?
The largest carpal bone is the capitate, in the middle of the far row, and the largest tarsal bone is the calcaneus, which forms the heel.
The bones compared
- Scaphoid
- Lunate
- Triquetral
- Pisiform
- Trapezium
- Trapezoid
- Capitate
- Hamate
- Talus
- Calcaneus
- Navicular bone of foot
- Cuboid bone
- Medial cuneiform bone
- Intermediate cuneiform bone
- Lateral cuneiform bone
Joints they form
Other comparisons
- Radius vs ulna
- Tibia vs fibula
- Cervical vs thoracic vs lumbar vertebrae
- Atlas vs axis (C1 and C2)
- Femur vs humerus
- Clavicle vs scapula
- Maxilla vs mandible
- Scaphoid vs navicular bone
- Metacarpals vs metatarsals
- True vs false vs floating ribs
Skeleton
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Once the 3D model loads you can turn it and select each part.