Cranial Bones & Bone Markings

Frontal Bone

front part of the cranium (forehead) including the upper part

Supraorbital ridges

brow ridges

Temporal bone (x2)

side of the human cranium (ear)

External auditory (acoustic) meatus

hole into inner ear

Mastoid process

bump behind ear

*highlighted part bottom left

Styloid process

attachment for tongue and larynx muscles (shape like pointy needle)

Zygomatic process

part of zygomatic arc that makes up the "cheek" (side of cheekbones)

Occipital bone

back/base of the skull

Foramen Magnum

opening for spinal cord

Occipital condyles

sits on the atlas (bumps above the foramen Magnum)

Ethmoid bone

bones at the root of the nose (behind the bridge between the eyes)

Cribriform plate

holes allowing olfactory nerves to enter brain

Olfactory Foramina

holes in cribriform plate

Perpendicular plate

forms part of nasal septum

Sphenoid Bone

butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull (behind eye socket)

Sella Turcica

hold pituitary gland (concaved and seat-like)

Parietal Bone (x2)

2 skull bones between the frontal and occipital bones forming the top and sides of the cranium ("middle" of the cranium)

Sutures

immovable joints between bones

Coronal Suture

the suture between the parietal and frontal bones

Sagittal Suture

the suture uniting the two parietal bones (running down the "middle"- "midsagittal")

Lambdoid Suture

connects the occipital bone to the parietal bones (towards the "back"/"base" of the skull-- triangle shaped)

Squamous Suture

connects the parietal and the temporal bone (curved)