The skull could divided into two parts: the braincase or the cranium that protects the brain, and the bones of the face and the jaw. The braincase is composed of eight bones, while the face is composed of fourteen bones. For a detailed view and nomenclature of bone of the skull, click on the figures. You will find the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital bones of the skull, and the maxilla, the zygomatic, the sphenoid and the mandible of the face.
Frontal view of the skull.
The bones of the skull, excluding the mandible (lower jaw), are connected by sutures. These jagged bones are glued to each other with collagen, a sticky protein. The mandible, on the other hand, is connected to the skull via muscles and tendons.
