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Foramen magnum: magnified reference view with a numbered learning marker. The complete original plate is available in the next view.
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Foramen magnum

Large opening within the occipital bone. Connects posterior cranial fossa with vertebral canal. Occipital condyles lie to its sides.

Zoom in, then drag to inspect. Keyboard: + / − to zoom, arrows to pan, 0 to reset. Tap the numbered markers to explore parts.

Foramen magnum: magnified reference view with a numbered learning marker. The complete original plate is available in the next view.

Image: OpenStax College / university open textbook · Source / original · CC BY 4.0

Numbered markers and focused views are Mediveerse learning overlays; the original reference is linked above.

Foramen magnum

Foramina & canals

Foramen magnum

STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

Understand what you see.

Large opening within the occipital bone.

Zoom into the original labels. Practise pointing out each structure, then explain it aloud. Diagrams are teaching references; specimen appearance and slide staining vary.

01 / IDENTIFICATION

How to recognise it.

  1. Large opening within the occipital bone
  2. Connects posterior cranial fossa with vertebral canal
  3. Occipital condyles lie to its sides
02 / KEY STRUCTURES

Point them out.

Tap a number to open its reference, zoom in and locate the structure. Numbers stay the same across views. This key follows landmarks visible in the reference images.

Related features & study points (3)

Additional relations, attachments or microscopic details to revise alongside this plate. These are separate from its numbered image landmarks.

03 / VIVA PRACTICE

Think first. Then reveal.

Say your answer aloud before opening the suggested response.

Examiner-style prompts: identify the structure, explain its relations, then answer the applied follow-up. These are revision questions, not authenticated past papers.

01Identify foramen magnum and justify your identification.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Large opening within the occipital bone. Connects posterior cranial fossa with vertebral canal. Occipital condyles lie to its sides.

02Name important contents.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

Medulla continuing as spinal cord with meninges, vertebral arteries, spinal arteries, and spinal roots of accessory nerves, among associated structures.

03Which cranial nerve roots ascend through it before exiting via the jugular foramen?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

The spinal roots of accessory nerve (XI).

Read the references.

Credited anatomical plates, microscopy and university teaching references. Individual image credits appear below the viewer. Historical plates can use older terminology; use the lesson text for current names.