chondrocranium

[ kon-droh-krey-nee-uh m ]

/ ˌkɒn droʊˈkreɪ ni əm /

a braincase composed of cartilage rather than bone, as the skull of sharks and of the vertebrate embryo before ossification.

Origin of chondrocranium

First recorded in 1870–75; chondro- + cranium

The mandibles, however, are in part derived from the chondrocranium.

Degeneracy |Eugene S. Talbot
In the sturgeon the chondrocranium is ensheathed by numerous membrane bones, but cartilage bones are absent.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3 |Various
The chondrocranium, jaws, arches, and muscles of a partly grown larva.

The Ancestry of Modern Amphibia: A Review of the Evidence |Theodore H. Eaton
Numerous membrane bones cover the chondrocranium externally.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 3 |Various

These two conditions result from the inability of the dermal bones to fill at the proper period the gaps in the chondrocranium.

Degeneracy |Eugene S. Talbot

chondrocranium

[ kŏn′drō-krā′nē-əm ]

The cartilaginous parts of the developing skull.