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visceral skeleton
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visceral skeleton

anatomy
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Quick Summary

The visceral skeleton, also known as the splanchnocranium, is a subdivision of the vertebrate skeleton. It comprises the lower jaw, some elements of the upper jaw, and the branchial arches, including the hyoid bone. In humans, the visceral skeleton is distinct from the axial skeleton (skull, vertebral column, rib cage) and the appendicular skeleton (limbs and girdles). The jaws and branchial arches develop from the first pair of cartilaginous branchial arches, with ventral ends contributing to the cartilages of the larynx and hyoid bone. The dorsal ends of the first and second arches form the auditory ossicles in the middle ear.12

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6 Britannica Sources
  1. human skeleton - Development of cranial bones
  2. human skeleton
  3. skeleton - Embryology of vertebrate skeletons
  4. axial skeleton
  5. prenatal development - Axial skeleton
  6. skeleton

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