Most Things Biology

Time To Read

2–3 minutes

Date Last Modified

November 6, 2025

The sphenoidButterfly-shaped bone in the middle cranial floor; unites cranial and facial bones. bone articulates with almost all your cranial bones and forms the outside of your eye socket.

Skull Bones Study Sheet

Sella turcica
Optic foramen

The skull is complicated if you don’t approach it one thing at a time. Begin with the flat bones of the skull. Then proceed with the suturesImmovable joints between skull bones; zigzag or wavy seams. that connect them to each other. This method is always a great way to start. Another important point is that there are two structures within the skull. One is the cranial vault where your brain is. The other is your facial bones (where your brain isn’t).

The sphenoid bone fits with the temporal, frontalForehead bone; forms the front part of the skull and roof of the orbits. Smooth and curved., occipitalPosterior and base of the skull; curves under to form the back of the head., and parietal bones. Touch the side of your eye socket, and find the rim of the socket. Move back or posterior just a little bit, that is the sphenoid bone. The small patch visible from the outside does not show how large the sphenoid bone really is. If we turn the skull over, we can see the spread of the sphenoid bone more clearly. It becomes apparent when we look at the inferiorBelow or toward the lower part of the body. face. We can see it articulate more clearly with the occipital bone. It also connects with the vomerThin, flat bone forming the lower portion of the nasal septum. and palatineL-shaped bones forming posterior part of hard palate and floor of nasal cavity. bones on the roof of the mouthThe opening of the digestive tract where food enters and mastication begins.. The sphenoid and ethmoidLight, spongy bone between the eyes; forms nasal septum and medial orbit walls. bones both have structures that have a lot of twists and turns…literally.

An anatomical illustration depicts the human skull in two views: inferior and lateral. A dashed line outlines the location of the sphenoid bone in both views. The inferior perspective displays the base of the skull with the teeth, while the lateral view demonstrates the skull from the side. Labels "Inferior" and "Lateral" are placed under their corresponding images. — Skull showing sphenoid bone: inferior and lateral views.

The special features of the sphenoid bone that interest us are only viewable from the inside of the skull. These can be seen from a mid-sagittal section A cut or slice of the body or an organ for study., which cuts the skull into left and right. Alternatively, view them from a transverse section, cutting it into top and bottom.

The term sella turcicaSaddle-like depression in sphenoid that holds the pituitary gland. means “turk’s saddle.” This curved structure cradles the pituitary glandEndocrine gland at the brain’s base controlling many hormones.. The gland dangles down from what seems like the exact center of your brain. When they swab you for COVID, it’s like they are trying to swab your pituitary gland. The optic foramenRound opening in sphenoid for the optic nerve; visible inside orbit. is the canal through which cranial nerve II or the optic nerve threads. After passing through the sphenoid bone, the optic nerves cross. The pituitary, still cradled in the sella turcica, is located just inferior to that crossing.