The sutures have a serrated appearance and look like seams between the bones of the skull. Together, these bones form a kind of bony helmet around the brain. The brain sits snugly in these cranial fossae. The sella turcica forms a cup in which the pituitary gland sits. The petrous portion contains the organs of hearing and equilibrium in the inner and middle ear.
Small openings connect the sinuses to the nasal cavity.
The paranasal sinuses lighten the skull bones and serve as resonating chambers for sound, which gives each individual a destinct voice. The nasal cavities and paranasal sinuses are lined with mucous membranes in living persons, and we will learn more about them when we discuss the respiratory system. It is suspended in the midneck region about an inch above the voicebox. It is suspended from the styloid process of the temporal bone by ligaments and muscles. The hyoid bone serves as an attachment site for the tongue and several neck and throat muscles involved in swallowing and speech.