ANIMAL PRACTICAL

Dissection

● Pins should always be inserted at a 45 degree angle into the rubber part of the dissection tray.

● You can (& are advised to) dissect with bare hands, i.e. no gloves, unless you are allergic.

● Follow the instructions when dissecting, regardless of what you have learnt before.

● Insects:
o Mouthparts: Using the forceps, hold each mouthpart at its base & pull firmly with one swift,
continuous motion. Start from labium (bottom), labrum (top), maxillae, mandibles (usually
hardest to pull out) & finally the hypopharynx (white tongue-like structure in the middle of
the buccal cavity). (Feel free to pull the mouthparts in any other order that works best for
you).

Top row: Broken maxillae (reject). Middle row from left to

right: 2/3 of a labium (reject); hypopharynx ☺ ; intact labrum ☺ . Bottom row: Intact mandible ☺ ; intact
maxillae ☺.

o Insert sharp scissors at rear end of insect, make a cut along the side of the body of the insect
all the way to the head as close to the exoskeleton as possible, scissors blade angled
outwards (to avoid rupturing any organs). You should be able to feel your scissors sliding
along the interior side of the exoskeleton.
o Using dissection pins, tease open the flaps of the exoskeleton of the insect until the body of
the insect is fully opened, pin down the flaps of the exoskeleton.
o Flood the tray with the spray of the tap diverted away from the opened insect body (to
avoid destroying the specimen).
o Place the whole dissection tray under the stereomicroscope for observation & further
dissection.
o Use dissection pins or the dissection needle to tease away the fat bodies (white or colored if
the insect has been fed with dye) which should then float away.
 Should look something like this after pinning (cricket).

o Locate the crop, gizzard, intestine, Malpighian tubules (revise anatomy).

o Obtain a piece of the trachea (tubular structure attached to inner side of exoskeleton with
shiny silver rings).
o Obtain a piece of the ventral nerve cord (follow the instructions as to the number of ganglia
to obtain). The nerve cord is usually stuck to some of the fat bodies; make sure that you do
not accidentally rupture the nerve cord while removing fats. The nerve cord is also prone
to floating away; make sure you hold onto it securely using the forceps.

Ventral nerve cord with 7

ganglia (little swellings).

● Earthworm:
o Using the sharp scissors, make a small incision at the side of the earthworm’s body,
posterior to the clitellum. Make a lateral cut along the side of the body of the insect all the
way to the head as close to the epithelium as possible, scissors blade angled outwards (to
avoid rupturing any organs). You should be able to feel your scissors sliding along the
interior side of the epithelium.
o Locate the setae (tiny rough dots, number & pattern differs from species to species).
o Using dissection pins, tease open the flaps of the epithelium until the organs are visible, pin
down the flaps of the exoskeleton.
o Flood the tray with the spray of the tap diverted away from the opened earthworm body (to
avoid destroying the specimen).
o Place the whole dissection tray under the stereomicroscope for observation & further
dissection.
o Locate the hearts, seminal vesicles, seminal receptacles, ovaries, crop, gizzard, intestine
(revise anatomy). Beware: They may all appear the same color so have a rough idea where
each organ are located with respect to the heart (should be red if not ruptured), the
intestine, the clitellum & the segments (have numbers).
● Snail:
o Using dissection scissors, cut along the spirals of the shell, removing fragments using the
forceps along the way. Be sure to cut as close to the shell as possible (to avoid rupturing
 any organs). The snail, if alive, will secrete mucus. Wipe away mucus from your hands using
paper towels; do NOT wash with water as it will become slimier if hydrated further.
o Locate the small pore (pneumostome) near the head of the snail. Insert scissors carefully
here, as close to the epithelium as possible.
o Cut along the line between the grey & white parts of the epithelium from the
pneumostome all the way to the tip of the snail (which was located near the top of the shell
spiral before removal of the shell).

Looks something like this after you first cut it open.

o Pin down the specimen & flood the tray. Under the stereomicroscope, using dissection pins
or the dissection needle, carefully tease apart the organs. Pin the reproductive organs &
digestive tract away from the rest of the body (BUT NOT through the organs themselves).

Now looks like this after pinning away some organs.

o Locate the various organs (revise anatomy). The heart is yellow & white (see arrow) &
should still be beating if vivisection was carried out.
o From the pneumostome, cut towards the anterior of the head, along the midline of the top
of the head. This will expose the buccal cavity, penis & vagina of the snail. Beware: The
organs may bulge out of the head while cutting.
o In the buccal cavity, locate the radula (tongue-like rasping structure used for feeding). The
radula is a translucent flap that is rough.

Radula magnified under stereomicroscope (note the rough pattern).

● Prawn:
 o Appendages: Using the forceps, hold each appendage at its base & pull firmly with one
swift, continuous motion. Lay them out in pairs in sequence to facilitate later identification
(revise anatomy).
o Insert dissection scissors from the posterior, top edge of the carapace. Cut towards the
anterior end of the head, as close to the carapace as possible, scissors angled upwards (to
avoid rupturing organs). Remove the carapace.
o Insert dissection scissors from the anterior, top edge of the remaining exoskeleton covering
the abdomen. Cut towards the posterior end of the abdomen, i.e. towards the telson,
scissors angled upwards to avoid rupturing intestine. Remove the parts of the exoskeleton
that come loose.
o For the abdomen: Locate the ventral nerve cord running along the bottom of the prawn
(could be black in colour). Locate the dorsal intestine (transparent tube with brown
material) embedded within the flesh.
o Pin down the cephalothorax with dorsal side up. Flood the tray. Under the
stereomicroscope, use dissection pins and the dissection needle to tease apart the flaps of
epithelium and flesh to expose the organs. Identify the gills (yellow & fluffy), heart with
ostia, the gastric caeca, the cardiac stomach (big, brown sac) & other organs (revise
anatomy).
● Crab:
o Appendages: Using your hand, hold each appendage at its base, then twist & pull out
simultaneously with one swift, continuous motion. Lay them out in pairs in sequence to
facilitate later identification (revise anatomy).
o Flip over the crab such that its ventral side is facing you. Use the dissection needle to tease
open the triangular-shaped (male) or rounded (female) flap (reduced abdomen).

Looks like this for a female crab (observe the feathery

swimmerets). For a male, there are NO feathery swimmerets, just two pairs of tubular structures, the
longer of which is the gonopods.

o Hold posterior end of carapace with the thumb of one hand & the posterior end of the
ventral part of the crab with the thumb of the other hand. Pull the carapace open with both
hands (you should hear a sound).
o Flood the dissection tray.
o Separate the membrane surrounding the organs in the cephalothorax from the carapace by
pulling away the carapace slowly & teasing the membrane away using the dissection
needle/pin.
 o Using the dissection needle or dissection pins, slowly tease away the membrane from the
organs, taking care NOT to rupture the yellow/orange digestive caeca attached to the
membrane, lining the edge of the body cavity. The greyish ovaries/testes are below the
caeca.

Should look something like this (the digestive caeca have

been displaced to reveal the gills).

o Locate the heart with ostia (white, see arrow), the cardiac stomach (just in front of heart) &
gills (revise anatomy).
● Clam/mussel/any other bivalve:
o If the two halves of the shell are closed, carefully insert a dissection pin between the two
halves of the shell (not too deep in) until there is a small gap between the two halves.
o Insert the scalpel into the gap near the hinge of the shell. Slice through the adductor muscle
on one side of the hinge. Remove the scalpel & insert the blade at the gap on the other side
of the hinge, slicing through the adductor muscle on the other side of the hinge. Remove the
scalpel.
o Open the shell. Using a dissection pin/needle, carefully scrape off the mantle from each side
of the shell interior, taking care not to tear the mantle.
o Once the mantle is free, remove the fleshy part of the bivalve from its shell.
o Use the scalpel to make a small incision in the epithelium of the bulging part of the bivalve
(visceral mass) just above the foot. This incision must be very shallow (just deep enough to
slice through the epithelium) to avoid puncturing any of the organs beneath.
o Using the dissection scissors, carefully cut the epithelium all along the edge of the visceral
mass just above the foot (curved incision). Angle the scissors outwards, as close to the
epithelium as possible to avoid puncturing the organs.
o Using forceps, carefully tease open the flap of epithelium together with any organs attached
to it & pin down the epithelium (not through any organs) to expose the organs in the
visceral mass.
 Should look like this after pinning open the flap (clam).

o Note the original position of the visceral mass with respect to the shell. The pericardial
cavity with the heart, & the kidneys should be somewhere near the hinge (see red arrow).
o Flood the dissection tray. Under the stereomicroscope, tease apart the tubular organs using
the dissection needle or dissection pins.
o Locate the pericardial cavity with the heart, the kidney, the digestive gland & the
reproductive organs (revise anatomy). In this case, the digestive gland is brown & the
reproductive organs are yellow (BUT colours differ from species to species).

The heart (arrow) though slightly mutilated…

● Fish:
o Identify the different fins of the fish (revise anatomy).
o Using the forceps or your hand, bend the operculum backwards to expose the gills. Use the
dissection scissors to cut off one gill arch from the mass of gills. Identify the gill rakers &
feathery gills.
o Locate the anal pore on the ventral edge of the fish. Insert scissors here & cut towards the
anterior of the fish, all the way to the head. Ensure that the scissors is angled outwards,
cutting as close to the ventral edge of the fish as possible to avoid rupturing the heart
which is close to the ventral edge of the fish.
o Upon reaching the gill chamber, start cutting all the way up to the dorsal margin of the fish
with the scissors as close to the gill chamber as possible to avoid rupturing the organs.
o Insert your scissors at the anal pore once again & cut towards the posterior of the fish along
the ventral margin of the fish, angling the scissors outwards, as close to the ventral margin
as possible. Then, some distance posterior to the anal pore, start cutting all the way up to
the dorsal margin of the fish, angling the scissors outwards once again.
o Using your hands, carefully tease open the flap of flesh to expose the organs. Do NOT pull
off the flap violently otherwise you will burst the swim bladder.
 o Using the dissection scissors, cut off this flap of flesh, angling the scissors as close to the
dorsal edge of the flap as possible to avoid rupturing the kidneys which are close to the
top/dorsal edge of the body cavity.
o Locate the heart (smaller than liver, bright red), liver (crescent shaped, dark red), stomach
(huge swollen brown sac) with digestive caeca, coiled intestine, swim bladder (transparent,
balloon-like sac), kidneys, bladder, ovary/testes (revise anatomy).

Revise theory: UPGMA for phylogeny (search online for practice); structure to function relationship of
adaptations of various animals (be able to guess the functions of adaptations that you have not seen
before); hominids.