Final answer:
The bones of the skull consist of cranial bones and facial bones. The major suture lines join different bones together. The cranial fossae and fossae boundaries are important in housing and protecting parts of the brain.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Bones of the Skull
The bones of the skull can be divided into two categories: cranial bones and facial bones. The cranial bones are responsible for protecting the brain and consist of eight bones: frontal, parietal (two), temporal (two), occipital, sphenoid, and ethmoid. The facial bones, on the other hand, make up the structure of the face and include the nasal bones, maxilla (upper jaw), zygomatic (cheekbones), and mandible (lower jaw), among others.
Suture Lines
The major suture lines of the skull are the sagittal, coronal, lambdoid, and squamous sutures. The sagittal suture runs along the midline of the skull and joins the right and left parietal bones. The coronal suture connects the parietal bones to the frontal bone. The lambdoid suture joins the parietal bones to the occipital bone, and the squamous suture connects the parietal bones to the temporal bones.
Cranial Fossae and Fossae Boundaries
The cranial fossae are depressions on the internal surface of the skull that accommodate parts of the brain. The anterior cranial fossa is located in the frontal bone and serves as the base for the frontal lobes of the brain. The middle cranial fossa is formed by the sphenoid and temporal bones and houses the temporal lobes. The posterior cranial fossa is found in the occipital bone and cradles the cerebellum. The temporal fossa is a shallow depression on the side of the skull, bounded by the temporal lines. Finally, the infratemporal fossa is a deeper space below the temporal fossa, bordered by the zygomatic arch and the superior and lateral skull walls.