In total, how many bones make up the upper appendicular skeleton including the shoulder girdle?

The upper appendicular skeleton, which includes both the shoulder girdle and the bones of the upper limbs, comprises a total of 30 bones.

To break this down, the shoulder girdle consists of two clavicles (collarbones) and two scapulae (shoulder blades), totaling four bones. Each upper limb includes the following: one humerus (the bone of the upper arm), two radius and ulna bones (the bones of the forearm), eight carpal bones (the wrist bones), five metacarpal bones (the bones of the hand), and 14 phalanges (the finger bones) in total (three for each finger, and two for each thumb).

When you add all these bones together—4 from the shoulder girdle and 26 from the upper limbs (the humerus, radius, ulna, carpal bones, metacarpal bones, and phalanges)—you reach a total of 30 bones in the upper appendicular skeleton. This highlights the complexity and variety of bones that make up the structures involved in upper limb mobility and function.