Axial skeleton consists of 80 bones and is composed of six parts; the skull (22 bones), the ossicles of the middle ear( 3 in one ear),the hyoid bone, the rib cage(12 pair),sternum and the vertebral column (26).

The axial skeleton is the central part of the skeleton and includes all the bones that lie along the body's midline. It consists of the skull, vertebral column, and thoracic cage. The correct answer to the question is option 'C', which states that the axial skeleton consists of 80 bones.

Skull
- The skull is composed of 22 bones that protect the brain and house the sense organs such as the eyes, ears, and nose. These bones include the cranium and the facial bones.

Vertebral Column
- The vertebral column, also known as the spine or backbone, is made up of 33 individual bones called vertebrae. However, some of these vertebrae are fused together, resulting in a total of 26 bones.
- The vertebral column can be divided into five regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal.
- The cervical region consists of 7 vertebrae, the thoracic region has 12 vertebrae, the lumbar region contains 5 vertebrae, and the sacral and coccygeal regions are fused and make up the sacrum and coccyx.

Thoracic Cage
- The thoracic cage includes the ribs, sternum, and thoracic vertebrae. It forms the protective framework for the organs in the chest, such as the heart and lungs.
- There are 12 pairs of ribs, making a total of 24 ribs. These ribs are attached to the thoracic vertebrae at the back and to the sternum at the front.
- The sternum, also known as the breastbone, is composed of three parts: the manubrium, body, and xiphoid process.

In total, the skull consists of 22 bones, the vertebral column consists of 26 bones, and the thoracic cage consists of 24 ribs and the sternum. Therefore, the axial skeleton consists of a total of 80 bones (22 + 26 + 24 + 1 = 73).