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Occipital bone

The occipital bone    is the single bone that forms the posterior skull and posterior base of the cranial cavity ( [link] ; see also [link] ). On the base of the skull, the occipital bone contains the large opening of the foramen magnum    , which allows for passage of the spinal cord as it exits the skull. On either side of the foramen magnum is an oval-shaped occipital condyle    . These condyles form joints with the first cervical vertebra and thus support the skull on top of the vertebral column.

Posterior view of skull

This figure shows the posterior view of the skull and the major parts are labeled.
This view of the posterior skull shows attachment sites for muscles and joints that support the skull.

Sphenoid bone

The sphenoid bone    is a single, complex bone of the central skull . It serves as a “keystone” bone, because it joins with almost every other bone of the skull. The sphenoid forms much of the base of the central skull and also extends to the temple area at the sides of the skull . Inside the cranial cavity, the bone with right and left wings which resemble the wings of a flying bird. The sella turcica    (“Turkish saddle”) is located at the midline of the sphenoid bone.

Sphenoid bone

This image shows the location and structure of the sphenoid bone. A small image of the skull on the top left shows the sphenoid bone highlighted in ochre yellow. The top panel shows the superior view of the sphenoid bone and the bottom panel shows the posterior view of the sphenoid bone.
Shown in isolation in (a) superior and (b) posterior views, the sphenoid bone is a single midline bone that forms the anterior walls and floor of the middle cranial fossa. It has a pair of lesser wings and a pair of greater wings. The sella turcica surrounds the hypophyseal fossa. Projecting downward are the medial and lateral pterygoid plates. The sphenoid has multiple openings for the passage of nerves and blood vessels, including the optic canal, superior orbital fissure, foramen rotundum, foramen ovale, and foramen spinosum.

Ethmoid bone

The ethmoid bone    is a single, midline bone that forms the roof and lateral walls of the upper nasal cavity, the upper portion of the nasal septum, and contributes to the medial wall of the orbit ( [link] and [link] ). On the interior of the skull, the ethmoid also forms a portion of the floor of the anterior cranial cavity (see [link] b ).

Sagittal section of skull

This diagram shows the sagittal section of the skull and identifies the major bones and cavities.
This midline view of the sagittally sectioned skull shows the nasal septum.

Ethmoid bone

This image shows the location and structure of the ethmoid bone. A small image of the skull on the top left shows the ethmoid bone colored in pink. A magnified image shows the inferior view of the ethmoid bone.
The unpaired ethmoid bone is located at the midline within the central skull. It has an upward projection, the crista galli, and a downward projection, the perpendicular plate, which forms the upper nasal septum. The cribriform plates form both the roof of the nasal cavity and a portion of the anterior cranial fossa floor. The lateral sides of the ethmoid bone form the lateral walls of the upper nasal cavity, part of the medial orbit wall, and give rise to the superior and middle nasal conchae. The ethmoid bone also contains the ethmoid air cells.

Lateral wall of nasal cavity

This figure shows the structure of the nasal cavity. A lateral view of the human skull is shown on the top left with the nasal cavity highlighted in purple. A magnified view of the nasal cavity shows the various bones present and their location.
The three nasal conchae are curved bones that project from the lateral walls of the nasal cavity. The superior nasal concha and middle nasal concha are parts of the ethmoid bone. The inferior nasal concha is an independent bone of the skull.

Sutures of the skull

A suture    is an immobile joint between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the bones of the brain case are not straight, but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines serve to tightly interlock the adjacent bones, thus adding strength to the skull for brain protection.

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Source:  OpenStax, Skeletal system. OpenStax CNX. Apr 17, 2015 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11779/1.1
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