Lab Frog Dissection Internal Part I Page 1 of 4

STUDENT LABORATORY — Frog Dissection Internal Part I

LAB CREDITS EARNED 0 1

Full Name: ___________________________________________ Lab Date: __________

Lab Section: _______ Lab Instructor: _____________________ Credit: 1 lab period

Standards:
 Common Core Standards: Reading: 3,4,5,7
 Living Environment Core Curriculum Standards: 1.3.1a, 4.1.2a, 4.1.2b, 4.1.2c, 4.1.2e, 4.5.2a, 4.5.3b

Objectives:
To investigate how the internal structures of a frog adapt it to life on land and water.
To compare body systems of a frog to those of a human.

LABORATORY EXERCISE
*Note — This lab is due at the end of the lab period or as directed by your instructor. Your instructor may modify the lab based on time.

Pre-lab:

1. Label the diagram below of the internal anatomy of a frog: Word bank: liver, gall bladder, bile duct, small intestine,
stomach, pancreas, large intestine, anus, cloaca, spleen, and urinary bladder.

2. List the organs of the frog’s

digestive system, through which
swallowed food passes (list them in
order, starting with the mouth):

3. Name the glands that are part of the

frog’s digestive system:

4. Label the diagram below of the heart and lungs of a frog: Word bank: right atrium, left atrium, ventricle, lung.
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5. Fill out the table below comparing the human heart to the frog’s:

Human Frog
Number of atria
Number of ventricles
Total number of chambers

6. Describe how the pathway of pulmonary circulation differs in

frogs and humans.

Materials and Equipment:

Preserved frog, Dissecting tray, Gloves, Scissors, Forceps, Blunt probe, Dissecting needle, Dissecting pins, Hand
lens, Ruler, Lamp (optional).

Procedure:

Getting started:
Follow your instructor’s directions on how to handle your frog. Keep your frog over the dissecting pan at all
times. Do not walk around the lab room with your frog. Place only one set of hands on the frog when using
sharp instruments. All cuts are be made in a direction away from you. When finished with the frog, return it
to the appropriate container as per your lab teacher’s instructions. All students touching the frog must wear
gloves. Finally, handle the frogs respectfully and carefully; it was once a living organism.

*Note — Check the box  when you complete a step. Suggestion – have one student be the reader. He/she should read the
procedure aloud. Remember to record your observations and answers on this sheet.

1.  Materials and orientation: Get a tray, tools and your group’s

frog from your lab instructor. Place the frog on the dissecting tray with
the ventral side facing up and the anterior end pointing away from you.
Place large dissecting pins into each limb at an angle of 45 degrees (refer
to the diagram at the left).

2.  Cut skin: Pinch the skin at the posterior end of the frog with
tweezers. Use scissors to cut through the pinched skin and cut the skin
up along line a, (refer to the diagram).

3.  Starting from the center cut a, make four incisions along lines
b, c, d, and e (refer to the diagram). Continue the cuts laterally
(sideways) all the way, until your scissors touch the floor of the pan. Pin
the loose skin to the dissecting tray.
4.  Cut muscle: The layer under the skin is muscle. Pinch the
skin at the posterior end of the frog with tweezers. Use scissors to cut through the pinched muscle tissue and cut
the muscle up along line a, (refer to the diagram). *Important — Make your incisions carefully by gently lifting
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the part to be cut as to not damage underlying tissues and organs! When cutting near the forelimbs, you have to
cut through the sternum (breastbone). The heart is directly beneath the breastbone. This cut requires a degree of
strength and precision. Work carefully not to let the scissor point get too deep and damage the heart.

5.  Then, starting from the center cut a, make four incisions along lines b, c, d, and e (refer to the diagram).
Continue the cuts laterally (sideways) all the way, until your scissors touch the floor of the pan.

6.  Fold and pin: Take hold of the two forelimbs and stretch them widely apart so that the chest cavity opens.
Fold open and Readjust the pins to secure the loose muscle and skin to the dissecting tray.

7.  Expose as much of the internal organs as possible. You may have to make additional cuts and readjust the pins
to expose all the organs of the upper body.

8.  Eggs: If the frog is a female, two large masses of black and yellow eggs may be noticed once the frog is
opened. The eggs are in a thin ovarian tissue. Examine them. If your frog is male, look at another group’s frog
that is female. Since the eggs obscure the internal organs, carefully free the eggs by cutting them at their point of
attachment and lift them from the body. Place the eggs in a container at your table marked “eggs”. Dispose of the
eggs at the end of class during cleanup.

Is your frog a female or a male? Is this the same gender you determined from the external examination?

9.  Organ overview: Using your pre-lab diagrams, look to see which organs are visible. Use your forceps and
probe to gently lift and move the organs around (*Note — do not remove any organs unless specified in the lab).

10.  Heart and Lungs: Locate the heart in the center of the chest cavity. Notice that it lies within a thin pericardial
sac. Remove the pericardium to observe the heart. Find the two dark-red lungs. They may appear thin and
deflated, or as inflated oval balloons. Note that the lungs are connected to the larynx.

Describe the texture of the lungs.

Based on your pre-lab, which organism do you think, human or frog, has a more efficient way of exchanging
respiratory gases with the bloodstream? Support your answer.

11.  Heart chambers: Using a scalpel, carefully remove the heart and lungs and place them on the dissecting tray.
Separate the heart from the lungs. Take your scalpel and carefully slice open the heart in half, sideways, to expose
the chambers. Use a hand lens to locate the different heart chambers (*Note — coagulated (clumped) blood,
appearing as brown mush, may be in the heart chambers. Use a probe to dislodge the coagulated blood if
necessary).

Based on your pre-lab, and observations, how many valves do you think the frog heart would need to keep
blood flowing in one direction? Support your answer.
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12.  Clean up: Congratulations! You have completed part one of exploring the internal anatomy of the frog.

a.  Remove the pins from your frog

b.  Carefully fold the skin and muscle back over the organs.

c.  Wrap the numbered rubber-band around your frog’s trunk to hold in the guts.

d.  Empty the egg container.

e.  Wash, rinse and dry your tools and tray.

f.  Spray and wipe your lab bench.

g.  Follow any other directions from your lab instructor for preserving your frog, and cleanup.

Analysis Questions:

1. Based on today’s lab, describe two examples of how frogs are adapted for life on land and/or water. Cite your
observations.

*Note — Hand this lab in at the end of the lab period or as directed by your lab instructor.