The skull is the most landmark-dense part of the skeleton, and in lab you will be handed one and asked to point to, or name, bones, sutures, processes, and holes from every side. This review works around the skull one view at a time — side, front, bottom, top, and the floor inside — with a label drill for each view and a timed practical at the end. Lab Exam 2 follows Labs 4–7.
Your lab manual wins. Lab sections vary in which models, slides, and terms they use. If anything here differs from your lab handout or what your instructor emphasized, go with your lab material and tell your tutor so this review can be updated.
The Big Picture
The skull is part of the axial skeleton. Its 8 cranial bones form the vault and floor that enclose the brain; its 14 facial bones build the face, hold the teeth, and form the nasal cavity and most of the orbits. To recall the cranial bones, use "PEST OF 6": Parietal, Ethmoid, Sphenoid, Temporal, Occipital, Frontal — six names, eight bones, because the parietal and temporal bones are paired. Almost every skull bone meets its neighbors at an immovable suture; the mandible is the only one that moves freely.
Left and right always mean the specimen's. Facing a skull from the front, its right side is on your left. In an inferior (basal) view printed with the face at the top, the specimen's right is also on your left; in a superior view or cranial-floor view with the face at the top, its right is on your right. The lateral views in this lab show the skull's left side (face pointing to your left).
| Bone (number) | Group | Where it is on the model | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontal (1) | Cranial | Forehead, front of the cranial roof, roofs of the orbits | Supraorbital margin with a supraorbital foramen (or notch) above each orbit; meets the parietals at the coronal suture |
| Parietal (2) | Cranial | Most of the roof and upper side walls | Large curved plates; meet each other at the sagittal suture |
| Temporal (2) | Cranial | Lower side wall around the ear and part of the cranial floor | Squamous part (flat, above the ear), external acoustic meatus, mastoid and styloid processes, zygomatic process, petrous part inside |
| Occipital (1) | Cranial | Back of the skull and back of the cranial floor | Foramen magnum, occipital condyles, external occipital protuberance; lambdoid suture in front of it |
| Sphenoid (1) | Cranial | Temple (greater wing), back of the orbit, middle of the cranial floor | Bat- or butterfly-shaped; sella turcica on its body; lesser and greater wings; pterygoid plates below |
| Ethmoid (1) | Cranial | Between the orbits: medial orbital wall, roof of the nasal cavity, upper nasal septum | Crista galli and cribriform plate (inside), perpendicular plate and superior and middle nasal conchae (in the nose) |
| Nasal (2) | Facial | Bridge of the nose | Two small rectangular plates side by side below the frontal bone |
| Maxilla (2) | Facial | Upper jaw, floor of the orbit, front of the hard palate | Holds the upper teeth (alveolar process); infraorbital foramen below each orbit; palatine process forms most of the hard palate |
| Zygomatic (2) | Facial | Cheekbone; lateral wall and floor of the orbit | Its temporal process meets the temporal bone's zygomatic process to make the zygomatic arch |
| Lacrimal (2) | Facial | Front of the medial orbital wall | Smallest facial bones, fingernail sized, with a groove for the tear duct |
| Palatine (2) | Facial | Back of the hard palate (seen from below) | L-shaped bones; their horizontal plates sit behind the palatine processes of the maxillae |
| Inferior nasal concha (2) | Facial | Lower lateral wall of the nasal cavity | Scroll-shaped and separate; the superior and middle conchae are part of the ethmoid, not separate bones |
| Vomer (1) | Facial | Lower, back part of the nasal septum | Thin, plow-shaped midline plate; seen from the front through the nasal opening and from below between the choanae |
| Mandible (1) | Facial | Lower jaw | The only skull bone that moves freely (at the temporomandibular joint); body, ramus, condyle, coronoid process, mental foramen |
Label It · Lateral View 1
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Sutures & Lateral Landmarks
Turn the skull to its side and most of the practical's favorite targets appear: three of the four big sutures, the ear canal, the mastoid and styloid processes, the zygomatic arch, and every part of the mandible. The sagittal suture is the one big suture you can only see from above.
| Suture or landmark | Bone(s) | Where it is | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coronal suture | Frontal + both parietals | Across the top of the skull, ear to ear | Runs side to side like a headband; seen from above and from the side |
| Sagittal suture | Parietal + parietal | Midline of the roof, front to back | Seen only from above; splits the roof into left and right halves |
| Lambdoid suture | Parietals + occipital | Back of the skull | Upside-down V (Greek letter lambda) at the back of the head |
| Squamous suture | Parietal + temporal | Side of the skull above the ear | Smooth arch over the ear, the only major suture that curves this way |
| External acoustic meatus | Temporal | Side of the skull | The ear canal opening, just in front of the mastoid process |
| Mastoid process | Temporal | Behind and below the ear canal | Large, rounded, rough bump; you can feel it behind your earlobe |
| Styloid process | Temporal | Below the ear canal, pointing down and forward | Thin spike; often broken off on plastic models |
| Zygomatic arch | Temporal + zygomatic | From the cheek back to just in front of the ear | Two parts: zygomatic process of the temporal bone (back) + temporal process of the zygomatic bone (front) |
| Mandibular condyle (condylar process) | Mandible | Top of the back edge of the ramus | Rounded knob that sits in the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone (the temporomandibular joint) |
| Coronoid process | Mandible | Top of the front edge of the ramus | Flat, pointed projection; slips under the zygomatic arch |
| Mandibular notch | Mandible | Between condyle and coronoid process | The U-shaped dip at the top of the ramus |
| Angle of mandible | Mandible | Where the ramus meets the body | The corner of the jaw below the ear |
| Mental foramen | Mandible | Front of the body, below the premolars | One small hole on each side of the chin |
Label It · Lateral View 2
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Anterior View
From the front, focus on two openings. Each orbit is walled by seven bones: frontal (roof), zygomatic and sphenoid (lateral wall), maxilla (floor), and lacrimal and ethmoid (medial wall), with a small piece of the palatine bone at the back of the floor. At the back of the orbit are the optic canal and the superior orbital fissure. The nasal cavity is split by the bony nasal septum (perpendicular plate of the ethmoid above, vomer below), and its side walls carry the middle concha (ethmoid) and the separate inferior nasal concha.
| Structure | Bone | Where it is | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supraorbital foramen (or notch) | Frontal | Upper rim of each orbit | Small hole or notch in the brow ridge, about a third of the way in from the midline |
| Infraorbital foramen | Maxilla | Just below each orbit | Small hole in the maxilla, roughly in line with the supraorbital foramen |
| Mental foramen | Mandible | Below the premolars | Lowest of the three holes in a vertical line on each side of the face |
| Optic canal | Sphenoid (lesser wing) | Back of the orbit, toward the midline | Small round hole at the very back of the orbit |
| Superior orbital fissure | Sphenoid (between lesser and greater wings) | Back of the orbit, lateral to the optic canal | Slanted slit running up and out from beside the optic canal |
| Inferior orbital fissure | Between sphenoid and maxilla | Floor of the orbit, laterally | Slit along the lower lateral corner of the orbit |
| Perpendicular plate | Ethmoid | Upper part of the nasal septum | Thin midline plate in the upper nasal opening |
| Vomer | Vomer (its own bone) | Lower part of the nasal septum | Midline plate below the perpendicular plate |
| Middle nasal concha | Ethmoid | Lateral wall of the nasal cavity, middle level | Curled shelf above the inferior concha |
| Inferior nasal concha | Inferior nasal concha (its own bone) | Lateral wall, lowest level | Largest, lowest curled shelf in the nasal cavity |
Label It · Anterior View
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Inferior (Basal) View
Flip the skull (take the mandible off first) and work from front to back: hard palate, choanae and vomer, the sphenoid with its pterygoid plates and foramen ovale, the temporal bone's mandibular fossa, styloid process, carotid canal, and jugular foramen, and finally the occipital condyles and foramen magnum. Expect several pins here, because it is the busiest view on the skull.
| Structure | Bone | Where it is (face at the top) | How to identify it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incisive fossa | Maxilla | Front of the hard palate, behind the incisors | Small midline pit just behind the front teeth |
| Palatine process of maxilla | Maxilla | Front two-thirds of the hard palate | Larger part of the palate, inside the tooth row |
| Palatine bone (horizontal plate) | Palatine | Back third of the hard palate | Narrow strip behind a transverse suture; the choanae open just behind it |
| Vomer | Vomer | Between the two choanae (posterior nasal openings) | Thin midline plate dividing the two dark openings |
| Lateral and medial pterygoid plates | Sphenoid | Beside each choana | Two thin vertical plates hanging down from the sphenoid |
| Foramen ovale | Sphenoid (greater wing) | Behind the lateral pterygoid plate | Oval hole; foramen spinosum is the tiny hole just behind and lateral to it |
| Foramen lacerum | Between sphenoid, temporal, and occipital | Beside the basilar part of the occipital | Jagged opening (closed by cartilage in life) |
| Carotid canal | Temporal (petrous part) | In front of the jugular foramen | Round hole that tunnels into the petrous part |
| Jugular foramen | Between temporal and occipital | Lateral to the front of the occipital condyle | Irregular hole directly behind the carotid canal |
| Mandibular fossa | Temporal | Just behind the root of the zygomatic arch | Smooth depression where the mandibular condyle sits |
| Styloid process / stylomastoid foramen | Temporal | In front of the mastoid process | Spike, with a small hole between its base and the mastoid |
| Occipital condyles | Occipital | On each side of the front half of the foramen magnum | Oval knobs that rest on the atlas (C1) |
| Foramen magnum | Occipital | Center of the back of the base | The largest opening in the skull |
| External occipital protuberance | Occipital | Midline at the back | Bump where the nuchal lines meet; you can feel it at the back of your head |
Label It · Inferior View
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
Cranial Floor
With the top of the skull (calvaria) removed, the floor drops in three steps from front to back, like stairs. The lesser wings of the sphenoid mark the back edge of the anterior fossa, and the petrous ridges of the temporal bones mark the back edge of the middle fossa. Many foramina you saw from below open here too, so learn them in both views.
| Fossa | Bones forming the floor | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior cranial fossa | Frontal (orbital plates), ethmoid (cribriform plate), sphenoid (lesser wings) | Frontal lobes of the brain |
| Middle cranial fossa | Sphenoid (body and greater wings), temporal (squamous and petrous parts) | Temporal lobes; the pituitary gland sits in the sella turcica in the middle |
| Posterior cranial fossa | Occipital, temporal (posterior faces of the petrous parts) | Cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata |
| Opening | Bone | How to find it on the cranial floor | Main structures passing through |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cribriform plate foramina | Ethmoid | Sieve-like plates on each side of the crista galli | Olfactory nerves (CN I) |
| Optic canal | Sphenoid | Just in front of the sella turcica, under the lesser wing | Optic nerve (CN II), ophthalmic artery |
| Superior orbital fissure | Sphenoid | Slit between lesser and greater wings, lateral to the optic canal | CN III, IV, VI, and the ophthalmic division of CN V |
| Foramen rotundum | Sphenoid | Behind the medial end of the superior orbital fissure | Maxillary division of CN V |
| Foramen ovale | Sphenoid | Behind and lateral to foramen rotundum | Mandibular division of CN V |
| Foramen spinosum | Sphenoid | Tiny hole behind and lateral to foramen ovale | Middle meningeal artery |
| Foramen lacerum | Sphenoid / temporal / occipital junction | Jagged gap at the tip of the petrous part | Filled with cartilage in life; the internal carotid artery crosses its upper surface |
| Carotid canal | Temporal | Opens into the cranial cavity near foramen lacerum | Internal carotid artery |
| Internal acoustic meatus | Temporal | Back face of the petrous part | Facial (CN VII) and vestibulocochlear (CN VIII) nerves |
| Jugular foramen | Temporal + occipital | Behind the petrous part, beside the foramen magnum | Internal jugular vein; CN IX, X, XI |
| Hypoglossal canal | Occipital | Small hole just above the occipital condyle at the edge of the foramen magnum | Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII) |
| Foramen magnum | Occipital | Largest hole, center of the posterior fossa | Medulla oblongata joining the spinal cord; vertebral arteries |
Label It · Cranial Floor
Click a numbered pin (or its row), choose the structure it points to, then press Check answers. Wrong answers show the correction in green.
How to Tell Them Apart
Most lost points on skull practicals come from pairs of structures that sit next to each other or have similar names. Learn the one-line difference for each pair below.
| Easy to confuse | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Mastoid process vs. styloid process | Mastoid: big, round, behind the ear canal. Styloid: thin spike below and in front of the mastoid. |
| Mandibular condyle vs. coronoid process | Condyle is posterior, rounded, and sits in the mandibular fossa. Coronoid is anterior, flat, and pointed. |
| Supraorbital vs. infraorbital vs. mental foramen | Three holes in a vertical line: above the orbit (frontal), below the orbit (maxilla), below the premolars (mandible). |
| Optic canal vs. superior orbital fissure | Optic canal: small round hole, medial. Superior orbital fissure: longer slit, lateral to it. |
| Foramen rotundum vs. ovale vs. spinosum | On each side, front to back: round, oval, then tiny ("R-O-S"). All three are in the sphenoid. |
| Carotid canal vs. jugular foramen | From below, the round carotid canal is in front; the irregular jugular foramen is directly behind it. |
| Perpendicular plate vs. vomer | Both are in the nasal septum: perpendicular plate (ethmoid) on top, vomer below. |
| Middle vs. inferior nasal concha | Middle concha is part of the ethmoid. Inferior concha is lower, larger, and a separate bone. |
| Crista galli vs. cribriform plate | Crista galli is the vertical midline ridge; the cribriform plates are the perforated flats on either side. |
| External vs. internal acoustic meatus | External: ear canal on the outside of the skull. Internal: hole on the back of the petrous part inside the skull. |
| Palatine process vs. palatine bone | The palatine process belongs to the maxilla (front of the palate). The palatine bone forms the back third. |
Practical habit: before you name a pinned structure, say which view you are looking at and which bone it is on. Naming the bone first ("this is on the temporal bone, behind the ear canal") usually leaves only one or two possible answers.
Check Yourself
Rapid Recall
Say the answer out loud, then tap the card to check. Shuffle and go again until every card is automatic.
Practical Simulation
This runs like a real lab practical: one pinned structure or question per station, a timer, and you type the answer — no word bank. Each attempt draws 25 stations at random from a pool of 64 covering every view of the skull, so run it several times. Spell names fully; common synonyms (for example "external auditory meatus" or "condylar process") are accepted.
25 stations · 50 seconds each · stations come in random order every attempt.
| # | Station | Your answer | Correct |
|---|
Watch Out
| The mistake | The fix |
|---|---|
| Calling the styloid process the mastoid process (or the reverse). | Mastoid = big, rounded, behind the ear canal. Styloid = thin spike below and in front of it. |
| Swapping the mandibular condyle and the coronoid process. | Condyle is posterior and rounded (joint surface). Coronoid is anterior, flat, and pointed. |
| Calling the superior or middle nasal concha a separate bone. | Only the inferior nasal concha is its own bone. The superior and middle conchae are part of the ethmoid. |
| Writing "palatine bone" for the whole hard palate. | The front two-thirds is the palatine process of the maxilla; only the back third is palatine bone. |
| Mixing up the coronal and lambdoid sutures on a lateral view. | Coronal is toward the face (behind the frontal bone). Lambdoid is toward the back (in front of the occipital). |
| Mixing up foramen ovale, rotundum, and spinosum. | Front to back: rotundum, ovale, spinosum ("R-O-S"); spinosum is the tiniest. |
| Confusing the external and internal acoustic meatus. | External = ear canal on the outside. Internal = hole on the back face of the petrous part, inside the skull. |
| Naming sides from your own point of view. | Left and right are always the specimen's. Facing the skull, its right side is on your left. |
| Misspelling on the practical (ethmoid, lambdoid, sella turcica, crista galli). | Write the names out by hand a few times before lab. Many practicals take points off for spelling. |
Cheat Sheet
Print it or screenshot it for a last look before the lab.
| Topic | Know this |
|---|---|
| Skull totals | 22 bones: 8 cranial + 14 facial; mandible is the only freely movable bone |
| Cranial bones | Frontal, parietal ×2, temporal ×2, occipital, sphenoid, ethmoid ("PEST OF 6") |
| Facial bones | Nasal ×2, maxilla ×2, zygomatic ×2, lacrimal ×2, palatine ×2, inferior nasal concha ×2, vomer, mandible |
| Sutures | Coronal (frontal/parietals), sagittal (parietal/parietal), lambdoid (parietals/occipital), squamous (parietal/temporal) |
| Temporal bone | Squamous part, external acoustic meatus, mastoid process, styloid process, zygomatic process, mandibular fossa, carotid canal, petrous part, internal acoustic meatus |
| Occipital bone | Foramen magnum, occipital condyles, hypoglossal canal, external occipital protuberance |
| Sphenoid bone | Greater and lesser wings, sella turcica, optic canal, superior orbital fissure, foramina rotundum/ovale/spinosum, pterygoid plates |
| Ethmoid bone | Crista galli, cribriform plate, perpendicular plate, superior and middle conchae, medial orbital wall |
| Mandible | Body, ramus, angle, condyle (condylar process), coronoid process, mandibular notch, mental foramen |
| Maxilla | Alveolar process (upper teeth), infraorbital foramen, palatine process, incisive fossa |
| Anterior view | Supraorbital, infraorbital, mental foramina in a line; orbit = 7 bones; septum = perpendicular plate + vomer |
| Inferior view | Palate → choanae/vomer → pterygoid plates, foramen ovale → mandibular fossa, styloid, carotid canal, jugular foramen → condyles, foramen magnum |
| Cranial fossae | Anterior (frontal lobes), middle (temporal lobes, pituitary), posterior (cerebellum, brainstem) |
| Floor openings | Cribriform (CN I), optic canal (II), sup. orbital fissure (III, IV, V1, VI), rotundum (V2), ovale (V3), spinosum (middle meningeal a.), IAM (VII, VIII), jugular (IX–XI), hypoglossal (XII), magnum (medulla/cord) |
| Sides | Always the specimen's left and right; facing the skull, its right is on your left |
Debrief
You have now worked the skull from every side and from the inside. Run the practical until you clear 90% twice in a row, then move on to Lab 5, which continues the axial skeleton with the vertebrae, sternum, ribs, and hyoid.
💭 Before the real thing: run the practical simulation until you score 90% or better twice in a row. Then do it once with the timer on.