CRANIUM -

1. Large, hollow, rounded part of the skull.
2. It's cavity is cranial cavity in it brain is protected. Such animals in which cranium present grouped in craniata.
3. Cranium is formed of 8 flattened bones 1 frontal, 2 parital, 1 occipital, 2 temporals, 1 sphenoid and 1 ethmoid.
4. The cranial bones fit together by wavy, immovable boundries called sutures.
5. Pariatals are demrcated from the frontal by a coronal suture, from the occipital by lambdoidal suture and from the temporals by lateral sutures.
6. A large hole called foramen magnum present from which brain comes out in the form of spinal cord.
7. At the base of cranium 2 occipital condyles present attached to atals vertebrae forming a hinge joint that permits nodding of the head so skull is dicondylic.
8. On either side of the cranium is an auditory capsule that contains 3 small bones called malleus, incus & stapes (helpful in hearing), stapes is smallest bone.
9. So total 14 bones present in cranium & ear osicles.