01 / Location & anatomical relationships
Around the brain and forming much of the face.
02 / Structure & organization
The neurocranium surrounds the brain, while the facial skeleton supports the face and its cavities. Most skull bones meet at sutures. Openings in the cranial base transmit nerves and vessels between compartments.
03 / Function
It surrounds and protects your brain.
04 / Mechanism
Flat and irregular bones meet at strong joints called sutures. Their arrangement forms a hard protective case while leaving openings for nerves and blood vessels. Facial bones support the eyes, nose and jaws.
Working together: skeletal system
Bones provide a framework. Muscles pull on them through tendons, and joints allow movement.
Meet this body system →FOR DEEPER STUDY
Connect structure with function
The mandible is the main freely movable skull bone. Cranial cavities, foramina and sutures are useful landmarks for understanding deeper relationships.
Check your understanding
Locate the skull in relation to its neighbors. Explain how the structural features described above support its function, then distinguish it from a nearby structure with a different role.
Keep learning
Continue with OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology for system-level study. This atlas is educational and has not undergone independent medical peer review.