The vomer is a tiny, thin, plow-shaped bone in the midline that occupies and separates the nasal cavity. It articulates with the maxillae and palatines inferiorly on the midline, the sphenoid superiorly by its wings, and the ethmoid anterosuperiorly via its wings. The vomer has two parts: the body and the rostrum. The body of the vomer forms the floor of the nose and extends upward as far as the middle ear. It is hollow within and contains no blood vessels nor any true bone tissue. However, it does contain small muscles which attach to the nose and move it up and down. These muscles are called the levator veli palatini muscles because they lift up the palate (via the soft tissue) when they are active. The rostrum of the vomer reaches forward from the body and ends in a sharp point. It is thick walled and contains many foramina, or holes, which transmit nerves and arteries into and out of the nose. The surface of the rostrum is covered with small bumps known as rugae. They increase the surface area of the vomer and thus enhance its ability to vibrate sound waves back and forth while they transverse the nose. The vomer is important in determining the shape of the nose.