What is the strongest bone in your head?

skull

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• University of Washington — Neuroscience For Kids — The Skull
• InnerBody — Skull
• The University of Hawaiʻi Pressbooks — The Skull
• National Center for Biotechnology Information — Anatomy, Head and Neck, Skull

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• skull — Children’s Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• skull — Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

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• University of Washington — Neuroscience For Kids — The Skull
• InnerBody — Skull
• The University of Hawaiʻi Pressbooks — The Skull
• National Center for Biotechnology Information — Anatomy, Head and Neck, Skull

Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• skull — Children’s Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• skull — Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Also known as: neurocranium
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Last Updated: Mar 27, 2023 • Article History
Table of Contents

human skull

skull, skeletal framework of the head of vertebrates, composed of bones or cartilage, which form a unit that protects the brain and some sense organs. The upper jaw, but not the lower, is part of the skull. The human cranium, the part that contains the brain, is globular and relatively large in comparison with the face. In most other animals the facial portion of the skull, including the upper teeth and the nose, is larger than the cranium. In humans the skull is supported by the highest vertebra, called the atlas, permitting nodding motion. The atlas turns on the next-lower vertebra, the axis, to allow for side-to-side motion.

In humans the base of the cranium is the occipital bone, which has a central opening ( foramen magnum) to admit the spinal cord. The parietal and temporal bones form the sides and uppermost portion of the dome of the cranium, and the frontal bone forms the forehead; the cranial floor consists of the sphenoid and ethmoid bones. The facial area includes the zygomatic, or malar, bones (cheekbones), which join with the temporal and maxillary bones to form the zygomatic arch below the eye socket; the palatine bone; and the maxillary, or upper jaw, bones. The nasal cavity is formed by the vomer and the nasal, lachrymal, and turbinate bones. In infants the sutures (joints) between the various skull elements are loose, but with age they fuse together. Many mammals, such as the dog, have a sagittal crest down the centre of the skull; this provides an extra attachment site for the temporal muscles, which close the jaws.

Britannica Quiz
Human Bones Quiz

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Pat Bauer.

What is the strongest bone in your head?

Click on the bones to learn more

Cranium — The main function of the cranium is to house and protect the brain. The cranium, together with the mandible, are the two bones that form the skull.

Scapula — The scapula, also called the shoulder bone, connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle. This connection helps to stabilize the arm and provides movement for the arm at the shoulder. The scapula, clavicle, and humerus make up the shoulder.

Clavicle — The clavicle, also known as the collarbone, is located between the ribcage and scapula. It connects the arm to the body.

Sternum — The sternum, also known as the breastbone, is a long bone in the front of the rib cage. Its primary function is to protect the heart, lungs, and blood vessels from damage.

Radius — The radius is one of two large bones of the forearm. The ulna is the other. The radius is part of both the wrist and elbow joints.

Ulna — The ulna is a long bone in the forearm that extends from the elbow to the little finger. Of the two major bones in the forearm, the ulna is the longest.

Phalanges — The phalanges are digital bones of the hands and feet. Each of the digits in the hands have three phalanges, although the thumb and big two have only two.

Femur — Sometimes call the thigh bone, the femur is the longest, heaviest, and strongest bone in the body. It extends from the hip to the knee. The entire weight of the body is supported by the femur when a person is standing or walking.

Pelvic Bone — Located in the lower torso, the pelvic bone is a strong ring of bones that protect the organs of the lower abdomen and anchor the muscles in the hip, thigh, and abdomen. The three parts of the pelvis are the sacrum, coccys (tailbone) and hip bones.

Patella — The patella, or kneecap, is a small bone located in the front of the knee joint where the femur and tibia meet. It protects the knee and connects the muscles in the front of the thigh to the tibia.

Tibia — The tibia, combined with the fibula, form the major bones in the lower leg. The tibia is the stronger of the two bones and is sometimes called the shinbone. The tibia connects the knee with the ankle. It is the second largest bone in the human body.

Fibula — The fibula, combined with the tibia, form the major bones in the lower leg. Sometimes called the calf bone, the fibula is the slenderest of all of the «long» bones in the human body. Unlike the tibia, the fibula does carry a significant load of the body.

Tarsals— The tarsals are a set of seven bones located in the back of the foot. It is made up of the cuboid, medial, intermediate and lateral cuneiform, navicular bone, talus, and calcaneus. Of the tarsals, the calcaneus, located in the heel, is the largest and strongest.

Metatarsals— The metatarsals are a set of five bones located in the middle of the foot. The metatarsals don’t have individual names; rather they are identified by number.

Cranial sutures

Cranial sutures are fibrous bands of tissue that connect the bones of the skull.

The sutures or anatomical lines where the bony plates of the skull join together can be easily felt in the newborn infant. The diamond shaped space on the top of the skull and the smaller space further to the back are often referred to as the soft spot in young infants.

Fontanelles are the soft spots on an infant’s head where the bony plates that make up the skull have not yet come together. It is normal for infants to have these soft spots, which can be seen and felt on the top and back of the head. Fontanelles that are abnormally large may indicate a medical condition.

Information

An infant’s skull is made up of 6 separate cranial (skull) bones:

• Frontal bone
• Occipital bone
• Two parietal bones
• Two temporal bones

These bones are held together by strong, fibrous, elastic tissues called sutures.

The spaces between the bones that remain open in babies and young children are called fontanelles. Sometimes, they are called soft spots. These spaces are a part of normal development. The cranial bones remain separate for about 12 to 18 months. They then grow together as part of normal growth. They stay connected throughout adulthood.

Two fontanelles usually are present on a newborn’s skull:

• On the top of the middle head, just forward of center (anterior fontanelle)
• In the back of the middle of the head (posterior fontanelle)

The posterior fontanelle usually closes by age 1 to 2 months. It may already be closed at birth.

The anterior fontanelle usually closes sometime within 7 to 19 months.

The sutures and fontanelles are needed for the infant’s brain growth and development. During childbirth, the flexibility of the sutures allows the bones to overlap so the baby’s head can pass through the birth canal without pressing on and damaging their brain.

During infancy and childhood, the sutures are flexible. This allows the brain to grow quickly and protects the brain from minor impacts to the head (such as when the infant is learning to hold his head up, roll over, and sit up). Without flexible sutures and fontanelles, the child’s brain could not grow enough. The child would develop brain damage.

Feeling the cranial sutures and fontanelles is one way that health care providers follow the child’s growth and development. They are able to assess the pressure inside the brain by feeling the tension of the fontanelles. The fontanelles should feel flat and firm. Bulging fontanelles may be a sign of increased pressure within the brain. In this case, providers may need to use imaging techniques to see the brain structure, such as CT scan or MRI scan. Surgery may be needed to relieve the increased pressure.

References

Goyal NK. The newborn infant. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 113.

Safier RA, Cleves-Bayon C, Gaesser J. Neurology. In: Zitelli BJ, McIntire SC, Nowalk AJ, Garrison J, eds. Zitelli and Davis’ Atlas of Pediatric Physical Diagnosis. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 16.

Version Info

Last reviewed on: 1/24/2023

Reviewed by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.