The back-of-skull bone
Occipital bone · os occipitale
The bowl-shaped bone at the back and base of your skull, with the hole where your spinal cord exits.
What it does
The occipital bone cups the back of your brain and forms much of the skull's base. In its floor is a large opening, the foramen magnum, through which the spinal cord joins the brain. Two smooth knobs beside it rest on the atlas, the first neck vertebra.
Surprising fact
The position of the foramen magnum tells scientists whether an ancient human relative walked upright, because it sits further forward under the skull in upright walkers.
Why it matters
The bump you can feel low on the back of your head is part of this bone, and the powerful neck muscles that hold your head up anchor around it.
Nearby
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Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.