Any of the major paired nerves of the head or cephalic region. Twelve pairs of cranial nerves exit/enter the cranium through openings in the skull. The nerves contain efferent axons with motor and glandular functions, as well as afferent axons from cranial ganglia with sensory functions. They are numbered in a rostral to caudal sequence, with the exception of the lateral line nerves. [ XAO:curators ]