dissection labs
Eukarya Lab:
Even though I was there for 1/2 of the days we were in the lab. I learned a lot about different organisms and parts of them. I even got a picture of one. It looked like an evil dragon eye if I've ever seen one. It was a fun experience for me as the first lab we did. Some of the organisms in the lab looked pretty interesting. From little black spots to huge purple blobs, you couldn't choose the coolest one out of them all.
Sponge Lab:
This lab was very interesting. Never would I have thought you could dissect such a small specimen. It was a 2-inch, softly-structured animal. It had no bones and no exoskeleton that I could observe. It seemed like a very simple organism, even at first glance. After the initial incision, the sponge practically fell apart. Unlike anything else, particle by particle it came apart. It was a very easy dissection.
Cnidaria Lab:
For the first dissection of the year, our group had to look at a jellyfish and identify multiple types of organs/parts of the jellyfish which with a microscope was actually kind of hard. Cnidaria is a phylum containing over 10,000 species of animals exclusively found in aquatic environments. These species are primarily marine species. They are from the Eukaryota domain. The jellyfish, being clear and all, made it hard to pinpoint major parts of the animal through the microscope. My group-mate (Elise) and I could NOT find the part we were looking for. It was a weird dissection to be honest. I've been stung before by one and it is interesting to see one up close and not have it wanting to sting you. In all, I rate this one a 6/10 for it not being 100% able to be seen, talking all of the major or minor parts.
Squid Lab:
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which holds about 340 species. The special thing about cephalopods, is they have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid are strong swimmers that can "Fly" for short distances out of water. For this lab, we examined many of the different things that included the ink sack, heart, lungs, stomach, and more. We checked out the spine of the animal which was like a hard plastic feeling object. This whole project my partner and I wanted to dissect the head, which we did. The head was weird, it had its eyes on both side, spanning the whole head practically.
Earthworm Lab:
Grasshopper Lab:
Perch Lab:
Perch are a type of fish that fall under the class actinopterygii. This goes under the phylum chordata. The one that we dissected was a female perch, which was easily distinguished from a male from all of the eggs that lined the inside on the initial breach. The body type is long and rounded, with somewhat rough scales, depending on the perch. Being a guy who has fished all around, the Perch are a great sport fish and put up a fight. They are carnivorous and have been known to eat smaller Perch when they outgrow the others. You would most likely find them in Lake Erie.
Frog Lab: