In dorsal view, the skull of Necturus is pentagonal, with anterolateral (premaxilla + dentary), posterolateral (squamosal), and posterior (parietal) margins. The pointed tip of the snout is made up of the paired premaxillae, each of which bears a long posterior dorsal process. There are no nasal bones and the premaxillae make direct contact with the paired frontals. These, in turn, overlie elongate, paired parietals. The quadrates lie well forward such that this, the widest part of the skull, lies only slightly behind the midpoint. The squamosals rest on the dorsal surface of the opisthotics, just touching the posterolateral edges of the parietals. They then angle sharply forward to meet the quadrates. The elements of the otic capsules (prootics, opisthotics, exoccipitals) lie below the parietal, but they are separate from one another.