The skull is a bony structure found in the head of many animals. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury. The skull can be subdivided into two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull that's missing a mandible is only a cranium; this is the source of a very commonly made error in terminology. Those animals having skulls are called craniates. Protection of the brain is only one part of the function of a bony skull. For example, a fixed distance be… (More on Skull)