Anatomy Axial Skeleton

Divided into 3 parts: skull, vertebral column, and thoracic cage

Composed of the cranium and facial bones

Anterior portion of cranium; forms the forehead, superior part of the orbit, and floor of anterior cranial fossa

Opening above each orbit allowing blood vessels and nerves to pass

Smooth area between the eyes

Posterolateral to the frontal bone, forming sides of cranium

Midline articulation point of the two parietal bones

Point of articulation of parietals with frontal bone

Inferior to parietal bone of lateral skull. Can be divided into three major parts: squamous part (borders the parietals) the tympanic part (surrounds the external ear opening) and the petrous part (forms the lateral portion of the skull base and contains the mastoid process

Point of articulation of the temporal bone with the parietal bone

A bridge-like projection joining the zygomatic bone (cheekbone) anteriorly.

Rounded depression on the inferior surface of the zygomatic process; forms the socket for the condylar process of the mandible, where the mandible joins the cranium

Canal leading to eardrum and middle ear

Needle like projection inferior to external acoustic meatus

Opening medial to the styloid process through which the internal jugular vein and cranial nerves IX, X, and XI pass

Opening medial to the styloid process through which the internal carotid artery passes into the cranial cavity

Opening on posterior aspect of temporal bone allowing passage of cranial nerves VII and VIII

Jagged opening between the petrous temporal bone and the sphenoid providing passage for a number of small nerves and for the internal carotid artery to enter the middle cranial fossa

Tiny opening between the mastoid and styloid process through which cranial nerve VII leaves the cranium

Rough projection inferior and posterior to external acoustic meatus; attachment site for muscles

Most posterior bone of cranium- forms floor and back wall

Site of articulation of occipital bone and parietal bones

Large opening in base of occipital, which allows the spinal cord to join with the brain

Rounded projections lateral to the foramen magnum that articulate with the first cervical vertebra

Opening medial and superior to the occipital condyle through which the hypoglossal nerve(XII) passes

Bat-shaped bone forming the anterior plateau of the middle cranial fossa across the width of the skull. Keystone of the cranium because it articulates with all other cranial bones

Portions of the sphenoid seen exteriorly anterior to the temporal and forming a part of the eye orbits

Inferiorly directed trough-shaped projections from the junction of the body and the greater wings

Jagged openings in orbits providing passage for cranial nerves II, IV, V, and VI to enter the orbit where they serve the eye

A saddle-shaped region in the sphenoid midline. The seat of this saddle, called the hyphophyseal fossa, surrounds the pituitary glands

Bat shaped portions of the sphenoid anterior to the sella turcica

Openings in the bases of the lesser wings through which the optic nerves (cranial nerve II) enter the orbits to serve the eyes

Opening lateral to the sella turcica providing passage for a branch of the fifth cranial nerve

opening posterior to the sella turcica that allows passage of a branch of the fifth cranial nerve

Opening lateral to the foramen ovale through which the middle meningeal artery passes

Irregular shaped bone anterior to the sphenoid. forms the roof of the nasal cavity, upper nasal septum, and part of the medial orbit walls

Vertical projection providing a point of attachment for the dura mater, helping to secure the brain within the skull

Bony plates lateral to the crista galli through which olfactory fibers (cranial nerve I) pass to the brain from the nasal mucosa through the cribriform foramina

Inferior projection of the ethmoid that forms the superior part of the nasal septum

Irregularly shaped and thin walled bony regions flanking the perpendicular plate laterally. Their lateral surfaces shape part of the medial orbit wall.

Thin, delicately coiled plates of bone extending medially from the lateral masses of the ethmoid into the nasal cavity.

The lower jawbone, which articulates with the temporal bones in the only freely movable joints of the skull

Horizontal portion; forms the chin

Vertical extension of the body on either side

Articulation point of the mandible with the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone

Jutting anterior portion of the ramus; site of muscle attachment

Posterior point at which ramus meets the body

Prominent opening on the body (lateral to the midline) that transmits the mental blood vessels and nerve to the lower jaw)

Must open the lower jaw of skull to identify this prominent foramen on the medial aspect of the mandibular ramus. Permits the passage of the nerve involved with tooth sensation and is the site where the dentist injects Novacain to prevent pain while working on the lower teeth

Superior margin of mandible; contains sockets in which the teeth lie

Anterior median depression indicating point of mandibular fusion

Two bones fused in a median suture; form the upper jawbone and part of the orbits. All facial bones, except the mandible, join the maxillae. Thus they are the main, or keystone, bones of the face.

Form the anterior hard palate; meet medially in the intermaxillary suture.

Opening under the orbit carrying the infraorbital nerves and blood vessels to the nasal region.

Large bilateral opening located posterior to the central incisor tooth of the maxilla and piercing the hard palate; transmits the nasopalatine arteries and blood vessels

Fingernail-sized bones forming a part of the medial orbit walls between the maxilla and the ethmoid. Each lacrimal bone is pierced by an opening, the lacrimal fossa, which serves as a passageway for tears (lacrima=tear)

Paired bones posterior to the palatine processes; form posterior hard palate and part of the orbit; meet medially at the median palatine suture

Small rectangular bones forming the bridge of the nose

Lateral to the maxilla; forms the portion of the face commonly called the cheekbone; and forms part of the lateral orbit. Its three process are named for the bones with which they articulate.

Blade-shaped bone in median plane of nasal cavity that forms the posterior and inferior nasal septum

Thin curved bones protruding medially from the lateral walls of the nasal cavity; serve the same purpose as the turbinate portions of the ethmoid bone.

Composed of pedicles, laminae, and a spinous process, it represent the junction of all posterior extensions from the vertebral body

Opening enclosed by the body and vertebral arch; a passageway for the spinal cord

Two lateral projections from the vertebral arch

Single medial and posterior projection from the vertebral arch

Rounded central portion of the vertebra, which faces anteriorly in the human vertebral column

Paired projections lateral to the vertebral foramen that enable articulation with adjacent vertebrae. The superior articular process typically face toward the spinous process, whereas the inferior articular processes face away from the spinous process

The right and left pedicles have notches on there inferior and superior surfaces that create openings for spinal nerves to leave the spinal cord between adjacent vertebrae

Composite bone formed from the fusion of five vertebrae

Remnant of the spinous processes of the fused vertebrae

Wing-like projections formed by fusion of the transverse processes, that articulate laterally with the hip bones

Allows blood vessels and nerves to pass through the sacrum body

Continuation of the vertebral canal that goes inside the sacrum and terminates near the coccyx via an enlarged opening called the sacral hiatus.

Human tailbone

Consists of the bony thorax, which is composed of the sternum, ribs, and thoracic vertebrae, plus the costal cartilages

Breastbone. Composed of three fused bones- manubrium, the body, and xiphoid process. It is attached to the first 7 pairs of ribs

Superior part of the sternum, looks like a tie knot

Forms the bulk of the sternum

Construct the inferior end of the sternum

Concave upper border of the manubrium

Result of the manubrium and body meeting at a slight angle to each other

Point where the sternal body and xiphoid process fuse