134 Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology The Cranium The cranium includes eight bones. There are two sets of paired (left and right side) bones the rest are single bones. The bones that make up the cranium include: The soft sutures and fontanels serve two important functions. They enable some compression of the skull (the largest part of the body) during birth. Equally important, they enable brain growth during late pregnancy and early infancy. The fontanels ossify to bone by 22 to 24 months following birth. © Body Scientific International Figure 4.10 Bones of the skull. How many bones go together to make up the skull? What type of joints hold these bones together? Frontal bone Sphenoid bone Temporal bone Zygomatic bone Parietal bone Parietal bone Nasal bone Lacrimal bone Vomer Vomer Parietal bone Coronal suture Squamous suture Occipital bone Occipital bone Foramen magnum Lambdoidal suture B Front view C Base of the skull A Side view Mastoid process Maxillary bone Mandible Frontal bone Sphenoid bone Sphenoid bone Palatine bone Hard palate Maxillary bone Temporal bone Nasal bone Zygomatic bone Lacrimal bone Ethmoid bone Maxillary bone Mandible Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.