Final answer:
The fetal skull includes the frontal bone at the forehead, parietal bones at the sides and top, fontanelles as soft spots where bones have not fused, and the mandible as the lower jaw. The parietal bone is part of the brain case and connects to the occipital bone via the lambdoid suture. Fontanelles and ossification centers are key to skull shaping and brain growth.
Step-by-step explanation:
In labeling the bones and anatomical features of the fetal skull, it is important to identify the following:
- Frontal bone: This is located at the front of the skull and is one of the major bones forming the forehead.
- Parietal bone: These are two large bones that form the sides and top of the skull.
- Fontanelles: These are the soft spots on an infant's head where the skull bones have not yet fully fused. The anterior fontanelle is located at the junction of the frontal and parietal bones, and the posterior fontanelle is found at the junction of the parietal and occipital bones.
- Mandible: This is the lower jawbone and is the only movable bone of the skull.
As for the question on which bone is part of the brain case, the answer is a. parietal bone. The lambdoid suture joins the parietal bone to the occipital bone.
Ossification centers are where bones start to form from mesenchyme during embryonic development. Fontanelles play a crucial role during birth by allowing the fetal skull to deform as it passes through the birth canal, and they facilitate skull growth as the brain enlarges after birth.