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The '''skull''' is a [[bone]] structure that forms the head in [[vertebrates]]. It supports the structures of the face and provides a protective [[Cranial cavity|cavity]] for the [[brain]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skull|title=skull|website=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217083723/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skull|archive-date=17 February 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The skull is composed of two parts: the '''cranium''' and the [[mandible]]. In [[human]]s, these two parts are the [[neurocranium]] and the viscerocranium ([[facial skeleton]]) that includes the mandible as its largest bone. The skull forms the anterior-most portion of the [[skeleton]] and is a product of [[cephalisation]]—housing the brain, and several [[sensory system|sensory]] structures such as the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/science/cephalization|title=Cephalization: Biology|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502000749/http://www.britannica.com/science/cephalization|archive-date=2 May 2016|url-status=live|access-date=23 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In humans these sensory structures are part of the facial skeleton.
Functions of the skull include protection of the brain, fixing the distance between the eyes to allow [[stereoscopic vision]], and fixing the position of the ears to enable [[sound localisation]] of the direction and distance of sounds. In some animals, such as horned [[ungulate]]s (mammals with hooves), the skull also has a defensive function by providing the mount (on the [[frontal bone]]) for the [[horn (anatomy)|horns]].
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