What is Pelvis?
{{Infobox bone | Name = Pelvis | Latin = Pelvis | Image2 = Gray242.png | Caption = Male type pelvis | Image = Gray241.png | Caption2 = Female type pelvis }} [[File:Pelvic girdle illustration.svg|right|300px|A human pelvis, with the bones labelled]] [[File:Slide9AA.JPG|thumb|250px|The acetabulum is the hip joint (socket) at the top of each leg]] The '''pelvis''' (plural: ''pelves'') is the part of the [[vertebrate]] body to which the legs attach. It has a very ancient history.<ref>Clack, Jennifer A. 2012. ''Gaining ground: the origin and evolution of tetrapods''. 2nd ed, Indiana University Press, pp34, 51/3, 172/3, 432/5.</ref> This article is only about the human pelvis. Pelvis can mean the lower part of the trunk of the [[human body]], between the [[abdomen]] and the thighs. Or it can mean just the bones in that region. The pelvis is at the lower end of the [[spine]]. The pelvic skeleton is, at the back, the [[sacrum]] and the [[coccyx]]. At the front and to the left and right sides, there is a pair of hip bones. The legs are attached at the pelvis. The pelvis protects the organs used for [[digestion|digesting]] and for reproduction. It has many muscles attached. The muscles are mostly to do with keeping the body upright and with walking and running. Muscles attach to the bones with [[tendons]]. The bones of the pelvis are attached to each other by and to the sacrum by [[ligaments]]. The pelvis bones are [[symmetry|symmetrical]], the same on both sides. 1. The hip [[bone]] made of: * The top part is the [[ilium]] * The middle part is called the '''pubis''' * The lower part is called the [[ischium]] 2. The [[sacrum]] 3. The [[coccyx]] == Differences between the two sexes == Male and female human pelves are different. The female pelvis is wider and more shallow than the male pelvis. There is not much difference in young children before [[puberty]]. After puberty, the female pelvis is significantly larger than in males. The function of this change is to make the female p