Dissections Demonstrations

See also: Body Systems

Dissections provide a chance to carefully open real specimens to study their anatomy and function. They are powerful because they reveal structures that students usually only see in diagrams or models. Where possible, links are also included to virtual dissections.

Demonstration	Materials	Difficulty	Safety	Summary
Chicken Wing Dissection	★★☆	★★☆	★★☆	A whole chicken wing is skinned to reveal muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones, then pull on tendons to see how they flex and extend the elbow and move the digits. Carefully expose the elbow joint to observe synovial fluid and articular cartilage, using the wing as a model for human arm anatomy and function.
Cow Eye Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Dissect a preserved cow eye to trace the path of light through cornea, pupil, lens, and vitreous to the retina, then identify the optic nerve, blind spot, and tapetum to connect structure with how vision works. Use the lens to form real images to demonstrate image formation and inversion.
Flower Dissection	★★☆	★☆☆	★★☆	Students carefully take apart several fresh flowers to identify and compare major plant structures (stem, leaves, petals, stamen, pistil) and relate those parts to pollination and seed formation. Parts are sorted and labeled to compare within a species and across different flowers.
Lizard Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students dissect a garden lizard to examine reptilian anatomy and major systems. The activity emphasizes circulation, venous and arterial pathways, cranial nerves and brain, and the urinogenital system, linking structure to function in a terrestrial ectotherm.
Pigeon Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students dissect a pigeon to examine avian adaptations for flight and respiration. The activity progresses from external features to major internal systems, including flight muscles, air sacs, digestive tract, circulatory pathways, cranial nerves, and the urinogenital system.
Crayfish Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students dissect a preserved crayfish to investigate arthropod characteristics, including exoskeleton, jointed appendages, body segmentation, gills, and major organ systems. The activity emphasizes external identification, safe opening of the carapace and abdomen, and tracing digestive, circulatory, and reproductive structures.
Shark Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students dissect a preserved dogfish shark to examine external features, muscular organization, and the major systems of a cartilaginous fish. The investigation includes identifying fins and sensory structures, exposing trunk and head muscles, opening the body cavity to trace digestive and circulatory organs, locating urogenital features, and optionally revealing the brain.
Grasshopper Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students dissect a preserved grasshopper to investigate external structures (head, thorax, abdomen, legs, wings, spiracles, eyes, antennae, mouthparts) and internal organs (digestive, respiratory, reproductive). The activity emphasizes insect body plans and relates structure to function using safe, scissors-first technique.
Owl Pellet Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students dissect owl pellets to uncover the bones and fur of the owl’s prey, reconstruct skeletons, and analyze what the owl has been eating. This hands-on activity teaches about predator-prey relationships, digestion, and food webs.
Frog Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students examine a preserved frog to identify major external features and internal organs of the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and excretory systems. The activity builds skill with dissection tools while linking structure to function across body systems.
Kidney Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students examine a preserved mammalian kidney to identify external landmarks and internal structures that move urine from nephrons to the ureter. The dissection links organ anatomy to functions in filtration, fluid balance, and waste removal.
Sheep Brain Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students examine a sheep brain to identify major external and internal structures. The activity includes removing the dura mater, separating hemispheres along the longitudinal fissure, and locating key features such as the corpus callosum, ventricles, colliculi, pineal gland, cerebellar arbor vitae, gyri, and sulci.
Snake Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students examine both the external and internal anatomy of a snake. The activity demonstrates how a snake’s specialized organs and structures support its ability to swallow prey whole, digest food efficiently, and survive in its environment.
Fetal Pig Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students explore a fetal pig to identify major external features and dissect internal systems (respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, and reproductive). Colored latex in vessels and stepwise incisions help reveal organ relationships and fetal circulatory adaptations.
Lung Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students explore the structure and function of lungs by dissecting real animal specimens. They observe the spongy texture, identify the trachea, bronchi, and blood vessels, and can inflate the lungs with a pump to see how they expand and contract during breathing.
Rat Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Students investigate the external and internal anatomy of a rat to learn how mammalian organ systems are structured and interconnected. The rat serves as a representative model for mammalian anatomy and physiology.
Stingray Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	This dissection examines the internal and external anatomy of a stingray, a cartilaginous fish belonging to the class Chondrichthyes. Students identify organs that aid in movement, respiration, digestion, and reproduction, while learning how stingrays are adapted to their aquatic environment.
Mouse Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	This dissection explores the external and internal anatomy of a mouse, focusing on identifying major organs from the digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and urogenital systems. The activity highlights the structural features of mammalian organs and their functions.
Fish Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	This dissection introduces students to the anatomy of bony fish. By examining both external and internal features, students learn how adaptations such as fins, gills, and swim bladders enable fish to move, breathe, feed, and survive in aquatic environments.
Earthworm Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	This dissection introduces students to the anatomy of the earthworm, a segmented worm with well-developed digestive, circulatory, reproductive, excretory, and nervous systems. The activity highlights both external and internal features, making it an effective introduction to animal anatomy.
Pig Heart Dissection	★★★	★★☆	★★☆	Use a preserved pig heart to identify external landmarks and internal chambers, valves, and vessels. Trace the path of blood through the right and left sides to connect structure with one-way flow and double circulation.

Materials
★☆☆ Easy to get from supermarket or hardware store
★★☆ Available in most school laboratories or specialist stores
★★★ Requires materials not commonly found in school laboratories

Difficulty
★☆☆ Can be easily done by most teenagers
★★☆ Available in most school laboratories or specialist stores
★★★ Requires a more experienced teacher

Safety
★☆☆ Minimal safety procedures required
★★☆ Some safety precautions required to perform safely
★★★ Only to be attempted with adequate safety procedures and trained staff