Skull bones

Skull bones

The human skull consists of 22 bones, which can be divided into the brain and facial bones.

The bones of the brain skull include:

1. Two parietal bones located in the upper lateral areas of the skull.

2. Two temporal bones at the bottom of the skull that protect the organs of hearing and balance.

3. The frontal bone gives the shape of the forehead and serves as the base for the cranium. It contains two eye sockets with eyeballs.

4. Occipital bone in the posterior lower part with the foramen magnum for the connection of the brain and spinal cord.

5. The ethmoid bone is involved in the formation of the walls of the nasal cavity.

6. The sphenoid bone in the lower and middle part of the skull, housing the pituitary gland.

The bones of the facial skull are divided into two jaws. The upper jaw consists of two fixed bones, the lower jaw - of one movable bone for chewing.

The smallest bone in the body is the stapes in the inner ear. Its size is only 3 mm; three such bones can be placed on the nail of the little finger at once.