Here are 8 Extremely Interesting Facts About a Dog Skull You Didn’t Know!

Dog skull – Learn more with Healthier Pets Today! The shapes and sizes of the skulls of different dog breeds vary significantly. 

A long and narrow skull or a broad and short skull may be found in a different breed of dog. This brief article will describe and illustrate the various bones of the dog skull anatomy. 

1. Dog Skull Anatomy

Before we get into the details of the dog face bones, we’d like to point out some unique osteological features. 

Let’s take a look at the following unique osteological features of the dog skull anatomy:

1. The skull is oval and elongated in shape, but it varies greatly between breeds (dolichocephalic, brachycephalic, and mesaticephalic).
2. The dog’s skull has a frontal ridge.
3. In the dog skull, the basioccipital bone connects with the bulla tympani. 
4. The dog skull has a strong and highly curved zygomatic process. 
5. In a dog, the interparietal bone fused with the occipital bone before birth. 
6. In a dog, parietal bone also contributes to the formation of the roof of the cranial cavity. 
7. The dog skull contains an incomplete orbital rim. 
8. The incisor teeth are also housed in a socket in the premaxilla bone.
9. The canine teeth have a well-developed socket in the dog’s premaxilla bone.
10. The two halves of the dog’s mandible fuse only partially. 
11. Other special features (masseteric fossa) can be found on the dog mandible. This is a depression on the lateral aspect of the dog mandible’s ramus.  

So that’s a quick rundown of the dog skull bones. Continue reading if you want to learn more about the osteological feature. Every single bone in the dog skull will be described in detail. 

2. Dog Skull Bone Anatomy

The following major bones in a dog’s skull may be recognized. However, I will also show you the various structures or processes of these main bones. 

So, what are these prominent dog skull bones?

1. A dog skull’s occipital bone
2. A dog skull interparietal bone
3. A dog’s parietal bones
4. A dog’s frontal bones 
5. A dog’s temporal bones
6. Different parts of the dog skull’s sphenoid bones
7. Canine ethmoid bones 
8. A dog’s maxilla bone 
9. Dog’s incisive bones 
10. Canine palatine bones 
11. Dog skull pterygoid bones
12. Canine nasal bones 
13. Dog zygomatic bones
14. Dog lacrimal bones 
15. The canine skull’s vomer bone

3. The Occipital Bone

The position of the occipital bone is similar to that of the horse skull. The occipital bone of a dog is divided into two sections; the basilar and the squamous. 

The basilar portion of the occipital bone is broad and connects to the tympanic bulla on both sides. In a dog, the squamous portion fuses with the interparietal bone before birth. 

A dog that directs caudally will have an angular and prominent nuchal crest. Just ventral to this nuchal crest, there are two rough tubercles. 

These tubercles’ ventral surfaces are convex from side to side and concave dorsoventrally.

Each side has a large mastoid foramen at the junction with the squamous part of the temporal bone. 

This foramen is dorsal and rostral to the foramen magnum (dog skull’s large foramen). In the dog face, you’ll find flattened and widely separated condyles. Each condyle also has a short condyloid canal on the medial side. 

In comparison to other animals,the dog face has a very short jugular process. A tiny canal for the hypoglossal nerve can be found near the jugular canal. 

4. Interparietal And Parietal Bones

Before birth, the interparietal bone of the dog skull fuses with the squamous part of the occipital bone to form the interparietal process. 

The caudal part of the external sagittal crest is contained within it. The interparietal bone’s rostral end is narrower and thinner than the caudal end. 

It contributes to the internal formation of the osseous cerebellar tentorium. 

The interparietal bone also contributes to the formation of the transverse sinus canal. The dog skull contains a strongly curved and rhomboid-shaped parietal bone. 

This bone is very extensive and forms the majority of the roof of a dog’s cranial cavity. 

In a dog, the junction of the right and left parietal bones has a prominent external sagittal crest. This external sagittal crest is still visible on the dog’s frontal bone. 

The ventral border of the dog’s parietal bone connects with the wing of the sphenoid bone. This bone’s external surface also contributes to the formation of the temporal fossa. 

The internal surface of a dog’s parietal bone contains some impressions and ridges. 

5. Frontal Bones

An irregular-shaped frontal bone with some unusual osteological features can be found in dog skull anatomy. 

The frontal bone contains an orbital part, a temporal surface, a frontal squama, and a nasal part. 

A dog’s temporal line runs along the outside of the frontal bone. From the external sagittal crest to the zygomatic process, it curves. 

The frontal squama is also separated from the temporal surface by the sagittal crest. Both sides’ frontal squama form a central depression and slope ventrally and rostrally. 

In the dog face, there is a very short zygomatic process. As seen in the pig skull, the supraorbital margin of the dog skull is incomplete. 

Supraorbital foramen can be found on both sides of the dog skull’s supraorbital process. 

The orbital and temporal surfaces of the dog face are extremely large. The dog’s frontal bone contains two ethmoidal foramina. 

This bone articulates rostrally with the nasal bone and maxilla. This bone, like the parietal, sphenoid, lacrimal, palatine, and ethmoid bones, articulates with others. 

6. Temporal Bones

The temporal bone of the dog contributes significantly to the ventrolateral wall of the calvaria. 

The temporal bone of a dog contains petrosal, tympanic, and squamous parts. The petrosal portion is also referred to as the pyramid or petrosum. 

It fuses laterally to the medial surfaces of the tympanic and squamous parts around its periphery. 

The cerebellar fossa is located on the caudomedial aspect of the petrosal part of the temporal bone. There is an internal acoustic meatus ventral to the cerebellar fossa. 

A short canal for passing the trigeminal nerve can also be found at the ventral rostral aspect of the internal acoustic meatus.

The jugular foramen of the dog is situated between the petrosal part of the temporal bone and the occipital bone. At the petrosal part of the temporal bone, there is a distinct mastoid process. 

7. The Tympanic Portion

The tympanic portion of the temporal bone is the ventral portion, and it is easily distinguished by its most significant component (bulla tympanic). 

There are two large foramen on the rostral margin of this bulla: foramen lacerum and external carotid foramen. 

A long, curved zygomatic process can be found in the squamous part of the temporal bone. 

The zygomatic arch is formed by this process, which extends rostrolaterally and overlies the caudal half of the zygomatic bone. 

A mandibular fossa can be found at the ventral part of the zygomatic process. The inner temporal canal forms passages for the temporal sinus between the squamous and petrous parts. 

A squamosal suture is formed when the squamous portion of a dog’s temporal bone overlaps the parietal bone. 

8. Sphenoid Bone

In a dog, the sphenoid bones form the rostral two-thirds of the base of the cranial cavity. In the dog skull anatomy, the sphenoid bone has two distinct parts (presphenoid and basisphenoid). 

In a dog, the more rostral bone with an orbital wing is called a presphenoid, and the caudal bone with a larger wing is called a basisphenoid. 

Now I’ll go over the key osteological characteristics of these two parts of the dog’s sphenoid bones. 

The dorsal part of the presphenoid bone’s body is roofed over by the jugum sphenoidale, which is formed by the fusion of the right and left wings. 

The orbitosphenoid crest is formed caudally by this jugum sphenoidale. The rostral clinoid process can also be found on both sides.

Interesting Facts About a Dog Skull You Didn’t Know…

Bones are made up of minerals, primarily calcium and phosphorus, and are an essential component of the skeletal system, which serves as the structural foundation for all vertebrates. 

It safeguards the body’s tissues and internal organs. The bones have been characterized as the scaffolding that supports all of the body’s other parts. 

The rib cage guards the vital organs of the chest, such as the heart and lungs. The skull shields the brain and eyes. 

The leg bones allow the dog to stand and move (locomotion), whereas the internal ear structure bones transmit sound.