Animals · Science

Skeleton on the Outside!

A skeleton party where some guests wear theirs on the outside.

Watch on YouTube
Skeleton on the Outside!3:16

A song. A few new discoveries.

Compare an endoskeleton inside the body with an exoskeleton outside. Follow molting from the old shell to a bigger, soft new one, and meet animals that challenge our guesses: a snake keeps its bones when it sheds skin, a turtle's shell is part of its skeleton, and an octopus has no bones.

Made for curious kids around ages 6–12 and the grown-ups watching with them. Music and animation created with AI tools under Mike Sego’s direction. YouTube’s video description includes the release notes and credits.

Read the sing-along lyrics
Smarty Party! Rattling, clattering, creak and grin, There's a skeleton hiding under your skin! Cats have bones and bats have bones, Fish and birds have bones of their own! Bones on the inside, growing with you: Endoskeleton! Inside! Ooo-ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the outside! Ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the inside! Ooo-ooo! Crabs wear armor, you wear skin, Rattle your bones and let the party begin! Skeleton on the outside! Ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the inside! Boo! Exoskeleton, outside! Endoskeleton, inside! Ooo-ooo-ooo! Crabs and beetles and spiders too Wear their skeletons outside, who knew? Hard as a helmet, made of chitin, Light and strong and a little frightenin'! Exo means outside, give it a shout: Exoskeleton! Outside! The skeleton's out! Skeleton on the outside! Ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the inside! Ooo-ooo! Crabs wear armor, you wear skin, Rattle your bones and let the party begin! Skeleton on the outside! Ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the inside! Boo! Exoskeleton, outside! Endoskeleton, inside! Ooo-ooo-ooo! But armor won't stretch, so what can they do? They grow a soft new skeleton, then wriggle through! Split goes the back, out comes leg and claw, Gulp, gulp, puff! They're bigger than before! They hide for a few days till the new shell's hard, And leave an empty ghost to guard the yard! A cicada leaves a ghost on a tree, Ooo! A snake sheds skin, but its bones stay in, see? Ooo! A turtle's shell? Grown from ribs and spine! Ooo! An octopus? No bones! It squeezes through just fine! Skeleton on the outside! Ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the inside! Ooo-ooo! Crabs wear armor, you wear skin, Rattle your bones and let the party begin! Skeleton on the outside! Ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the inside! Boo! Exoskeleton, outside! Endoskeleton, inside! Ooo-ooo-ooo! Skeleton on the outside! Skeleton on the outside! Boo! Smarty Party Songs! Like, subscribe, PARTY!

Lyrics from the published video’s caption file.

Keep the discoveries coming.

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