Surface Features of Bones

Question 1

Canal

Answer 1

Tubular passage or tunnel in a bone
(Ex. auditory canal of the skull)

Question 2

Condyle

Answer 2

A rounded knob
(ex. occipital condyles of the skull)

Question 3

Crest

Answer 3

A narrow ridge
(ex. iliac crest of the pelvis)

Question 4

Epicondyle

Answer 4

A flare superior to a condyle (medial epicondyle of the femur)

Question 5

Facet

Answer 5

Smooth joint surface that is flat or only slightly concave or convex
(ex. articular joints of the vertebrate)

Question 6

Fissure

Answer 6

A slit through a bone
(Orbital fissures behind the eye)

Question 7

Foramen

Answer 7

A hole through a bone, usually round
(ex. Foramen magnum of the skull)

Question 8

Fossa

Answer 8

A shallow, broad, or elongated basin
(infraspinous fossa of the scapula)

Question 9

Line

Answer 9

A raised, elongated ridge
(nuchal lines of the skull)

Question 10

Meatus

Answer 10

A canal
(external acoustic meatus of the temporal bone)

Question 11

Process

Answer 11

Any bony rounded object that projects
(Styloid process of the skull)

Question 12

Protuberance

Answer 12

A bony outgrowth or protruding part
(mental protuberance of the chin)

Question 13

Protuberance

Answer 13

A bony outgrowth or protruding part
(mental protuberance of the chin)

Question 14

Sinus

Answer 14

A cavity within a bone
(ex. frontal sinus of the skull)

Question 15

Spine

Answer 15

A sharp, slender, or narrow process
(Spine of the scapula)

Question 16

Sulcus

Answer 16

A groove for a tendon, nerve, or blood vessel
(intertubcular sulcus of the humerus)

Question 17

Tubercle

Answer 17

A small, rounded process
(greater tubercle of the humerus)

Question 18

Tuberosity

Answer 18

A rough surface
(tibial tuberosity)