Chapter 8: Skeletal System Overview and Cranial Anatomy

Vocabulary flashcards covering the major structural divisions, surface markings, cranial bones, suture lines, and landmarks of the human skeletal system.

Axial skeleton

The upright, central supporting axis of the body consisting of 80 bones, which includes the skull, rib cage, and vertebral column.

Appendicular skeleton

The 126 bones of the body that make up the limbs and the pelvic and shoulder area.

Articulations

Flat or rounded surface markings on bones that allow for joint formation.

Condyle

A rounded knob that usually fits into a fossa on another bone to form a joint.

Facet

A flat surface marking on a bone.

Head

The prominent, expanded end of a bone.

Crest

A moderately raised ridge on a bone.

Epicondyle

A bump located superior to a condyle.

Process

A projection or raised area on a bone.

Spine

A sharp, pointed process on a bone.

Trochanter

A large process found only on the femur.

Tubercle

A small, rounded process on a bone.

Tuberosity

A rough, raised bump on a bone, usually for muscle attachment.

Fossa

A furrow or depression on a bone.

Fovea

A small pit on a bone surface.

Sulcus

A groove or elongated depression on a bone.

Canal

A tunnel through a bone.

Fissure

A long slit in a bone for blood vessels and nerves.

Foramen

A round opening in a bone, usually serving as a passageway for vessels and nerves.

Meatus

A tube-like opening in a bone.

Sinus

A cavity within a bone.

Forensic anthropologists

Scientists who examine skeletal remains to determine characteristics such as a deceased individual's age, gender, stature, disease status, race, and identity.

Cranium

The bony structure housing the brain, consisting of eight cranial bones.

Parietal bones

Two bones that join together at the top of the head to form the top and sides of the cranial cavity.

Frontal bone

The single cranial bone that forms the forehead and the roof of the eye sockets (orbits).

Occipital bone

The cranial bone that forms the rear of the skull.

Temporal bones

Two bones that form the sides of the cranium and part of the cranial floor, containing inner and middle ear structures.

External auditory meatus

An opening into the ear situated in the temporal bone.

Mastoid process

A prominent lump on the temporal bone located behind the ear.

Styloid process

An attachment point for several neck muscles located on the temporal bone.

Sphenoid bone

A cranial bone shaped like a giant moth that forms a key part of the cranial floor as well as the floor and side walls of the orbits.

Sella turcica

An indented area on top of the sphenoid bone that houses the pituitary gland.

Ethmoid bone

A cranial bone positioned anterior to the sphenoid bone that contributes to the walls of the orbits, roof and walls of the nasal cavity, and the nasal septum.

Cribriform plate

The top of the ethmoid bone containing tiny perforations for branches of the olfactory nerve and providing an attachment for the meninges.

Sutures

Immovable joints at which the bones of the skull join together.

Coronal suture

The joint between the parietal bones and the frontal bone.

Lambdoid suture

The line of articulation between the parietal bones and the occipital bone.

Squamous suture

The cranial suture that runs along the top edge of the temporal bone.

Sagittal suture

The joint between the right and left parietal bones.

Foramen magnum

A large opening in the base of the skull that allows the spinal cord to pass through as it connects to the brainstem.