Skull

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

in animal physiology, the bony or cartilaginous framework of the head. It contains the brain and supports the face parts. All vertebrates, save the lancelets, have skulls. No animal without a backbone has a skull. The word skull means bowl, or cup. The skull is divided into the skull proper, known as the cranium or brain-box, and the facial region or face. For the eight bones of the cranium and the fourteen of the face the reader is referred to the article on Skeleton. In all mammals, that is to say, animals which suckle their young, the skull is composed of bones corresponding to those of the human skull, but the skull takes many shapes. In mammals other than man the cranium is small in comparison to the facial bones. Birds have a large cranium and small facial bones except that the beak is elongated. There are more bones in the skull of a bird than in that of the mammals. The cranium of the reptile is small and the facial bones large. The skull of the fish shows great diversity. The bones are so changed in shape and number that it is difficult to compare them with the bones of the mammal skull. Formerly the ethnologist or student of the human family based his classification of races on language and complexion, but of late scientists have come to the conclusion that the only safe basis of classification is the shape of the skull. The study and measurement of the skull form a distinct branch of science known as craniometry.