Skull: Baby and Adult

The skull is the bony section of the head. The skull encases and protects the brain, houses the brain senses, provides attachments for muscles of the head and neck, and helps to form the first portions of the respiratory and digestive tracts. The skull rests on the first vertebra, which is called the "Atlas". At birth, the skull is large in comparison to the rest of the body, and a baby's skull is compressible. The "soft spots" in a baby's head harden and grow together until the bones meet and mesh like a jigsaw puzzle. The largest of the six main soft spots is a diamond-shaped area near the middle of the top of the skull. This is the last area to harden and close, usually at about the age of eighteen months. "Skullduggery" is some kind of trick or some unscrupulous behavior.