Head (anatomy) - Definition and Overview

For other uses of the word head, see head (disambiguation).

In anatomy, the head of an animal is the anterior part that bears the mouth, the brain and various sensory organs (e.g. organs of sight, hearing, smell and taste). The very simplest animals do not have a head, but most bilaterally symmetric forms do. In vertebrates the contents of the head are protected by an enclosure of bone called the skull, which is attached to the spine. The front of the human head is called the face.