The most visible feature of the squamous part of the occipital bone when examining the inferior view of the skull is a ridge of bone (the external occipital crest), which extends downward from the external occipital protuberance toward the foramen magnum. The inferior nuchal lines arc laterally from the midpoint of the crest.
Immediately lateral to the foramen magnum are the lateral parts of the occipital bones, which contain numerous important structural features.