Femur vs humerus: how they differ, in 3D
The femur is the bone of the thigh, from the hip to the knee, and the humerus is the bone of the upper arm, from the shoulder to the elbow. Both are long bones whose rounded heads form ball-and-socket joints: the femur forms the hip and knee joints, and the humerus the shoulder and elbow joints. The femur is the longest and strongest bone in the body.
Frequently asked questions
Which joints do the femur and the humerus form?
The femur forms the hip joint with the hip bone above and the knee joint with the tibia and patella below. The humerus forms the shoulder joint with the scapula above and the elbow joint with the radius and ulna below.
How do the upper ends of the two bones differ?
Both have a ball-shaped head, but the head of the femur sits deep in the socket of the hip bone, which makes the hip stable, while the head of the humerus meets the shallow socket of the scapula, which lets the shoulder move more widely. The femur also has a long, angled neck between its head and shaft.
What is the longest bone in the body?
The femur is the longest and strongest bone in the body. When you stand, it carries the weight of the upper body down to the knee.
The bones compared
Joints they form
Other comparisons
- Radius vs ulna
- Tibia vs fibula
- Cervical vs thoracic vs lumbar vertebrae
- Atlas vs axis (C1 and C2)
- Clavicle vs scapula
- Maxilla vs mandible
- Scaphoid vs navicular bone
- Carpals vs tarsals
- Metacarpals vs metatarsals
- True vs false vs floating ribs
Skeleton
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