Also called: cranium
The skull is the bony framework of the head. It has a neurocranium that protects the brain and a facial skeleton. The neurocranium includes the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, sphenoid and ethmoid bones, joined by immovable sutures, and the mandible is the only movable bone.
| Type | Composite of flat and irregular bones. |
|---|---|
| Location | Head, above the cervical spine. |
| Landmarks | Sutures (coronal, sagittal, lambdoid), foramen magnum, orbits, nasal cavity, zygomatic arch, mastoid process, external occipital protuberance, cranial fossae. |
| Articulations | Atlas (atlanto-occipital joints) and mandible (temporomandibular joints). |
| Muscle attachments | Sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, temporalis, masseter and many facial muscles. |
3D model: BodyParts3D (CC BY 4.0), adult male reference anatomy. Highlighted structure shown with nearby bones for context.
The 3D model combines the cranial and facial bones and the teeth. The foramina of the skull transmit the cranial nerves and blood vessels.
Usually 22 bones in the skull, including 8 cranial bones and 14 facial bones, not counting the ossicles or hyoid.
The large opening in the occipital bone through which the spinal cord passes.
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