Answer
Secondary ossification centers develop soon after birth ( 3-6weeks) or later. They develop in the epiphyses of long bones . In large long bones two secondary ossification centers develop, one in each epiphysis; however, small long bones have only one secondary ossification center.
Work Step by Step
Whereas primary ossification centers may be apparent as early as five weeks after birth--they may begin forming in utero. Some secondary endochondral ossification centers appear by about the fifth year of childhood, but others do not form until early in the third decade of life.
Some bones in which secondary endochondral ossification centers develop are large long bones of the limbs ( humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia and fibula) ; the small long bones (metacarpals, metatarsals and phalanges); the vertebrae of the spine, and the ribs.
