Dissection of the Shark: Squalus spp.

PROCEDURE:
1. External and Superficial Anatomy. Locate the eyes with their immovable lids. Directly anterior to the eyes you
will find the nares (divided into an incurrent and excurrent aperture). The incurrent aperature leads to the olfactory
sac in the interior of the animal (a chemoreceptive organ). the eye, locate the six pharyngeal slits (a spiricle and
five gill slits). Identify the first (anterior) dorsal fin, second (posterior) dorsal fin, pectoral fin, pelvic fin, and caudal
fin. Because vetrebral column runs into the caudal fin and turns dorsally into the upper lobe of the fin, the shark is
said to have a heterocercal tail. Locate the vent between the pelvic fins (leading from the cloaca). If you have a
male, the pelvic fins are modified as claspers. Compare your animal to one of the opposite sex. Depending on the
species of your shark, dorsal spines may or may not be present (to avoid injury, snip them off if they are present).
run your fingers in an anterior, then posterior direction to feel the placoid scales projecting out of the skin. If
available, examine the demonstration slides of these placoid scales on display. Carefully open the jaw of your
animal and note the position and arrangement of the teeth.
2. Skeletal System. Examine the shark skeleton on display. The skeleton is divided into two main portions: the axial
skeleton (skull and vertebrae) and the appendicular skeleton (supporting the fins). The skull consists of the
chondrocranium (neurocranium) and splanchnocranium (visceral skeleton). The chondrocranium encloses the
brain while the visceral skeleton supports the jaws and pharynx. Locate the pectoral girdle and skeleton associated
with the pectoral fins. Do the same for the pelvic girdle and unpaired dorsal fins.
3. Internal Organs and Major Circulatory Structures. Use your scalpel to begin your incisions, then your scissors.
Be careful not to cut too deep with the scalpel (only deep enough to expose the body cavity) and hold the scissors
to avoid destroying viscera. Turn your animal on its back and make a longitudinal incision (slightly off-center) from
just anterior of the pectoral fins to the vent. Detour around the vent and continue to the posterior of the body cavity.
Then lay the animal on its right side and make a transverse incision (in the animal's left side) at the front and rear
of your first cut. The incision should run from the ventral cut to the dorsal surface so the skin can be lifted and the
organs exposed (use your scalpel to free the tissue near the gill slits before lifting the skin). Note the shiny

peritoneum lining the body cavity. Locate the esophagus and stomach. The first portion of the intestine leaving the
stomach is the duodenum. Directly behind this is the ileum (valvular intestine). Make a longitudinal slit in the
valvular intestine, flush it out with water, and locate the spiral valve. What do you think is the function of the spiral
valve? The intestinal segment directly behind the spiral valve is the large intestine. It is connected to the cloaca, a
common collecting area for feces, urine, and, in females, the eggs. Note also the rectal gland, which, along with the
gills, is an important organ of salt excretion. The three-lobed liver is situated directly beneath the stomach (you
should also identify the greenish gall bladder). Caudal to the liver, identify the spleen and pancreas. The
kidneys are the long, organs situated on the dorsal wall of the body cavity. Identify the paired uteri or
testes (depending on the persuasion of your beast). If you have a gravid (pregnant) female, slit open the uteri to
expose the pups (let other members of the class see the results of your dissection). If available, examine the
pickled shark pups on demonstration. Identify the heart and the major arteries and veins of your specimen.

Dissection of a Bony Fish

External and Superficial Anatomy Locate the eyesand nares(anterior to the eyes). As in the shark, the
nares lead to an olfactory sacthe eye, you will find the flap-like operculum Lift the operculum to expose and
examine the gills. Identify the dorsal fin, pectoral fin, pelvic fin, anal fin, and caudal fin The membranous portions of
the fins are supported by spiny fin rays Because the dorsal and ventral portions of the caudal fin of your fish are
symmetric, this type of fin is homocercal The anusand urogenital poreis located between the pelvic and anal fins
(the anus is the larger and more anterior of the two). Remove a few scales from your specimen, make a wet mount,
and observe under low power. This type of scale is a ctenoid scale(referring to the serrations on their outer margin).
Note also the growth lines (like rings of a tree). Carefully open the jaw of your animal and note the position and
arrangement of the teeth. Compare the structure of the ctenoid scale to that of a ganoidand cycloid scaleon display.
What differences can be seen? How do each of these scales differ from that of the shark?

Skeletal System.The bony fish skeleton is composed of two main sections: an axial skeleton(bones of the
skull, vertebral column, and ribs) and the appendicular skeleton(pectoraland pelvic girdlesand their associated
fins). Examine the structure of the fish skeleton on display. Compare to that of the shark, if available.

Internal Organs.Begin your dissection with your scalpel, then switch to scissors when the scalpel incision is
large enough to permit their use. Turn your animal on its back and make a longitudinal incision (slightly off-center)
from just anterior of the pectoral fins to half a centimeter or so from the anus. Make two transverse incisions on the
left side of your animal from each end of the ventral longitudinal cut to the dorsal surface. Remove the body wall by
connecting these two cuts with a longitudinal incision. If present, carefully remove any of the yellow fat to expose
the underlying viscera. Locate the esophagusand stomach The blind pouch at the posterior of the stomach is the
cardiac portionwhile the pyloric portionof the stomach opens to one side and connects to the intestine Beneath the
stomach you will find the spleenand the intestinal diverticula(pyloric cecae; near the union of the pyloric stomach
and duodenum). Locate the pancreasin the S-shaped intestinal fold and the prominent liver(anterior to the stomach
and intestine). The gonadis positioned above the stomach and below the swim bladder If your specimen is male,
his testesare paired while female specimens will have a single ovary Identify the paired kidneys(dorsal to the swim
bladder) and trace the Wolffian ductto the urinary bladder Slit open the swim bladder and identify the red capillary
beds that make up the gas glands These structures control the gas mixture in the bladder and therefore the

buoyancy of the fish. Make a longitudinal incision through both the stomach and intestine, rinse them out, and
examine under a dissecting microscope. What adaptations do you see that increase the surface area of each?