Skull facts for kids
.svg)
A skull is a group of bones that form the head of an animal with a backbone (a vertebrate). It holds all the parts of the head in place. The skull also supports the face and creates a strong, protective space for the brain.
Besides keeping the brain safe, the skull helps set the distance between your eyes and ears. This is important for things like seeing in 3D and helping your brain figure out where sounds are coming from. For some animals, like horned ungulates (animals with hooves), the skull also has a defensive role. Their horns are attached to the frontal bone of their skull.
The skull is made of several flat bones that are joined tightly together. In humans, an adult skull usually has 28 bones.
What Does the Skull Do?
The skull has several very important jobs:
- Brain Protection: Its main job is to protect the soft, delicate brain from bumps and injuries. Think of it like a helmet for your brain!
- Supporting the Face: The skull provides a framework for your face, holding your eyes, nose, and mouth in place.
- Helping Your Senses: By fixing the distance between your eyes, the skull helps you see in 3D (called stereoscopic vision). It also helps your ears work together to figure out where sounds are coming from.
- Chewing and Speaking: The skull includes the jawbone, which allows you to chew food and speak.
Skull Types and Openings
Scientists can classify skulls based on the openings or "windows" they have. These openings are called fenestras. They can be found in different places on the skull and help make it lighter while still keeping it strong.
For example, some dinosaurs had large openings in their skulls that helped reduce weight and provided space for strong jaw muscles.
Images for kids
-
Skull in situ
-
Anatomy of a flat bone – the outer covering of the neurocranium is known as the pericranium
-
Human skull from the front
-
CT scan of a human skull in 3D
-
A Centrosaurus skull
-
The fenestrae in the skull of the dinosaur Massospondylus
-
Chimpanzee skull
-
Goat skull.
-
Fish head parts, 1889, Fauna of British India, Sir Francis Day
-
Skull of a swordfish
-
Skull of Tiktaalik, an extinct animal that was a link between lobe-finned fish and early tetrapods
-
Cuckoo skull
-
Amphibians' skulls, Hans Gadow, 1909 Amphibia and Reptiles
-
Skull of a new-born child from the side
-
Adam was believed to have been buried on Mount Calvary. Silk embroidery (17th century)
-
An African elephant skull in Serengeti National Park
-
A vulture skull
-
King cobra skull
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Cráneo para niños
