Name: Caitlin Hueckstaedt

Hour: 3 Date: 3/17/14

/45 Points

Lab Due Date:

Written Exam Date:
Practical Exam Date:
Dissection Terms: (use operation frog)
(2 Points)
Anterior = Front
Posterior = Back
Dorsal = Top/topside
Ventral = bottom/underside

Introduction:
Frogs belong to the Class Amphibia. Amphibians have adaptations for living in terrestrial as well
as aquatic environments. Frogs are among the most commonly studied organisms in biology.
Although many differences exist between humans and frogs, the basic body plans are similar.
Humans and frogs both belong to the Phylum Chordata. By studying the anatomy of the frog, you
will be better able to understand your own body. In this investigation, you will examine the
external features of a frog and identify parts of its external anatomy. In addition, you will
dissect a preserved frog to observe its internal anatomy.
Materials (per group):
Preserved frog
Dissecting tray
Scissors
Probe

Forceps
Plastic bag
Scalpel
Dissecting pins

Eyedropper
Paper towels
Soap
Gloves

Safety:
Be
careful
when
handling
sharp
instruments.
Gloves should be worn
whenever there is physical contact with
the frog. Goggles should be worn at all
times. Follow your teacher's directions
and all appropriate safety procedures
when handling specimens.
CAUTION: To avoid injury, cut in a direction away from your hands and body.

DAY 1: External Anatomy of the Frog

1. Obtain a preserved frog, rinse the frog in the sink, and place it in a dissecting tray.
2. Label the following dissecting terms on the diagram below: (2 Points)
dorsal surface

anterior end
ventral surface

posterior end
1.

Posterior End

20.

17.

18.
4.

4. 16.

19.

15.

14.
5.

3.

11. 12.

6.
7.
8.

1. Posterior End
2. Anterior End
3. Ventral Surface
4. Dorsal Surface
5. Webbed Foot
6. Upper Arm
7. Forearm
8. Tympanic Membrane
9. Wrist
10. Hand
11. Eye
12. Mouth
13. External Nares
14. Thumb
15. Fore Leg
16. Nictating Membrane
17. Hind Leg
18. Thigh
19. Lower Leg
20. Ankle

2.

anterior End

13.
9.

10.

3. Locate the forelegs and hindlegs. Each foreleg, or arm, is divided into four regions. Starting
closest to the body the parts are identified as: upper arm, forearm, wrist, and hand. Each hindleg
also has four regions: thigh, lower leg, ankle, and foot. Identify the parts of the forelegs and
hindlegs. Examine the hands and feet of the frog. If the thumb is enlarged, the frog is a male.
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4. Locate the two large, protruding eyes, lift the lower eyelid using a probe; this lid is called the
nictitating membrane. This protects the eye while the frog is under water. Because the
membrane is translucent (clear), the frog is able to see under water!
5. Posterior to each eye is a circular region of tightly stretched skin. This region is the tympanic
membrane, or eardrum. Locate the tympanic membranes on both sides of the head. Anterior to
the eyes, locate two openings called the external nares (singular, naris), or nostrils.
6. Label the following external structures on the above diagram: (8
foreleg (limb)
hind leg (limb)

upper arm
thigh

forearm
lower leg

wrist
ankle

hand
webbed foot
thumb
tympanic membrane

Points)
external nares
eye
nictitating membrane
mouth

7. Hold the frog firmly in the dissecting tray. Using scissors make a small cut at each of the
hinged points of the jaw. Open the mouth as much as possible.
8. The tongue is the most noticeable structure in the mouth. Observe where the tongue is
attached and note the two projections at the free end. The frog is attached to the front of the
mouth so that the tongue may extend to capture food.
9. At the back of the mouth locate the large horizontal opening, this is the gullet opening. This is
where food (usually whole) enters the digestive system via the esophagus. Ventral to the gullet
opening, find a vertical slit, the glottis. The glottis allows air to travel to the lungs via the
trachea even when the frog is eating.
10. Look for two openings on the back sides of the floor of the mouth. These are the openings to
the vocal sacs. They are present in male frogs but not in female frogs.
11. Examine the roof of the mouth. Near the front center of the roof of the mouth are two small
bumps. These bumps are the vomerine teeth. On either side of the vomerine teeth are the
openings of the internal nares. Posterior to the vomerine teeth, observe two large bulges. These
bulges are the eye sockets. Run your fingers along the edge of the top jaw. The teeth you feel
are the maxillary teeth. Frogs do not usually chew their prey, but instead swallow them whole.
The openings on either side near the back of the mouth are the Eustachian tubes. This tube leads
to the tympanic membrane. This equalizes pressure in the frog's head when it dives under water.

12.

In the figure below, label the following parts of the frog's mouth: (5 Points)
vomerine teeth
tongue
internal nares
gullet opening
maxillary teeth
glottis opening
eye socket
openings to vocal sacs
openings to Eustachian tubes
palate
6. Maxillary Teeth
1.

Eye Socket

7. Internal nares

2. Palate

8. Vomerine Teeth

3. Gullet Opening

9. Openings to Eustachinan tubes

4. Glottis Opening

10. Openings to vocal Sacs

5. Tongue

Day 1 Questions: Answer the following after completing Day 1 of Lab. (6 Points)
1. Describe the color of the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the frog.
2. How many digits are on each of the frog's hands? Four Digits
3. How many digits are on each of the frog's feet? Five Digits
4. Is your frog a male or a female? Male. How can you tell? The thumbs are enlarged.
5. Where is the nictitating membrane attached?To the bottom of the eye.
6. Where is the tongue attached in the mouth? To the anterior of the jaw
DAYS 2 AND 3: Internal Anatomy of the Frog
1. Place your preserved frog in a dissecting tray with the ventral surface up. With dissecting
pins, securely pin the frog's feet and hands to the bottom of the dissecting tray as shown below.
Angle the pins away from the body of the frog so they will not interfere with your dissection.
2. With forceps, lift the loose skin of the abdomen. Carefully insert the tip of a pair of scissors
beneath the skin. Cut the skin along dotted lines as shown.

3. With your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the underlying muscles. Open the flaps of
skin as far back as possible and pin them to the bottom of the dissecting tray. Angle the pins
away from the body of the frog so they will not interfere with your dissection. Notice the blood
vessels branching throughout the inner lining of the skin. Observe the abdominal and pectoral
muscles. Note the direction of the muscle fibers.
4. Carefully lift the abdominal muscles with the forceps. NOTE: Keep the cut through the
muscles shallow so as not to damage underlying organs. As the incision is made in the chest, or
pectoral area, you will need to cut through bone. The bone is part of the pectoral girdle. NOTE:
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Use extra force with the scissors when cutting through the bone. Be careful not to damage any
of the internal organs below the bone.
5. Remove the pins holding the skin in place. Stretch the abdominal opening as much as possible.
At this time the hands and feet of the frog may need to be repined. Study the positions of the
exposed organs. Notice that most of the organs are held in place by thin, transparent tissues
called mesenteries.
6. If the frog is a mature female, the most obvious organs will be the ovaries. The ovaries are
white sacs swollen with tiny black-and-white eggs. Carefully lift the ovaries from the body cavity,
cut the attachments with scissors, and remove the ovaries from the frog. NOTE: Be careful not
to rupture the ovaries with scissors. If the ovaries are ruptured, they can spill a mess of eggs.
7. The large reddish-brown organ in the upper part of the abdominal cavity is the liver. The liver
produces a compound called bile which helps digest fats.
8. With a probe, lift and separate the lobes of the liver upward. Behind the middle lobe, look for
a greenish, pea-shaped gland. This gland is the gallbladder. The gallbladder stores bile that has
been produced by the liver.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
9. Locate the esophagus, which is a white tube leading from the mouth and connecting to the
upper part of the white, muscular stomach. Notice the shape of the stomach. (J) Look for a
constriction at the lowest part of the stomach. This constriction is the pylorus. The pylorus
leads into the long, coiled small intestine. Pull (not remove) the loops of small intestine away from
the body. Notice the mesentery that holds the intestines in place. Inside the first loop of the
small intestine near the stomach, locate a thin, tan colored organ called the pancreas, The
pancreas secretes digestive enzymes into the small intestine. Also in the intestinal mesentery,
locate a brown bean-shaped organ called the spleen. The spleen filters things like bacteria out of
the blood. NOTE: The spleen is an organ of the circulatory system.
10.
The small intestine ends in a large bag-shaped organ, the large intestine. The large
intestine, or colon, absorbs water and minerals from digested food. The last organ of the
digestive system is the cloaca, a saclike organ at the end of the large intestine. Undigested food
leaves the frog's body through an opening called the anus.

11.

Label the following

stomach
small intestine
large intestine
cloaca
liver

parts

of the digestive system and related organs: (5 Points)

gallbladder
4.
pancreas 1.
5.
anus
spleen
2.

6.

3.
7.
8.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Liver
Spleen
Small Intestine
Gallbladder
Pancreas
Stomach
Large Intestine
Cloaca
Anus

9.

UROGENITAL SYSTEM
12.
The reproductive system and the urinary system of the frog are closely connected and can
be studied as the combined urogenital system. The two kidneys are reddish-brown organs located
on the dorsal posterior wall of the abdominal cavity. The kidneys lie on either side of the
backbone. The kidneys remove wastes from and regulate fluid balance in the blood. NOTE: The
kidneys may be covered, with a thin membrane. If so, carefully tear open the membrane with the
point of a dissecting needle. The yellow, fingerlike structures are the fat bodies. Fat bodies
store energy for hibernation. A small, twisted tube called the ureter leads from each kidney into
the saclike urinary bladder. The urinary bladder temporarily stores urine. The urinary bladder is
connected to the cloaca. The cloaca collects urine, feces, eggs and sperm before they leave the
body.
13.
Locate the reproductive organs of the frog. If your frog is a male, it possesses testes,
tiny white or yellow organs found on the ventral surface of the kidneys.
14.
If your frog is a female, it possessed egg-filled ovaries that were removed earlier. If your
frog is an immature female, the pale, empty ovaries are located ventral to the kidneys. Leading
from each ovary is a long, coiled tube called the oviduct. The oviduct eventually joins the cloaca.

15.

Label the following parts of the

kidney

fat body

ureter

male AND female urogenital systems: (7 Points)

urinary bladder
ovary w/ eggs
cloaca
oviduct
testes

9.

4.

1.

7.

2.
5.
3.

10.
11.

8.

6.

12.
13
14.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Fat bodies
Testes
Cloaca
Kidney
Urniary Bladder
Ureter
Ovary w/ eggs
Oviduct
Fat Body
Oviduct
Kidney
Ureter
Cloaca
Urinary Bladder

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
16.
Locate the two lungs. They are small, spongy brown sacs that lie to the right and left of
the heart. Look for the bronchial tubes that extend from the anterior part of the lungs and join
with the trachea, or windpipe.
17.

Insert an eye dropper into the glottis of the frog. Pump air into the lungs and observe.

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
18.
Locate the heart. The heart is encased in a membranous sac called the pericardium. With
the tip of the scissors, carefully cut open the pericardium. Note the vessels attached to the
heart.
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19.
If there is time: Remove the pins from the frog's feet and hands. Cut the skin completely
around the upper thigh of one leg, as if cutting off the leg of a pair of pants. With forceps,
carefully pull the skin downward to the foot. Expose the thigh muscles, the knee and the calf
muscles. Move the lower leg up and down to simulate the leg movement during a jump. Observe
the various leg muscles involved in the leg movement.
20.
Follow your teacher's instructions for storing the frog for further use or properly
disposing of the frog and its parts. Thoroughly wash, dry and put away your dissecting tray
and tools. Wash your hands with soap and water.
Day 2 Questions: Answer the following after completing Day 2 of Lab. (5 Points)
7. How many lobes does the liver contain?3 Lobes
8. What is the shape of the stomach?It is a long tube.
9. Describe the mesentery that holds the intestines. A very thin membrane holds the
intestines together
10.
What happens to the lungs when air is pumped into the glottis? Lungs Expand as air is
pumped in
11.
How many chambers does a frog's heart have? 3 Name the chambers: Right Atrium, left
atrium, and the ventrical

(5 Points)
Organ

What does it look

like?

What does it do?

TYMPANUM

detect vibration for hearing

VOMERINE TEETH

2, hold prey in mouth

MAXILLARY TEETH

row, chew prey if needed

GULLET

opening for food; lead to esophagus

GLOTTIS

opening for air; lead to trachea

STOMACH

digest and break food apart

TONGUE

used to catch prey; attached??

HEART

3 chambers; pumps blood; closed

LUNGS

exchange gas (O2 and CO2)

LIVER

filter blood and produce bile

GALL BLADDER

stores bile

SPLEEN

produce and store blood

KIDNEYS

produce urine

SMALL INTESTINE

digest food and absorb nutrients

LARGE INTESTINE

digest food and absorb water

CLOACA

hold and release waste/gametes

TESTES

produce sperm

OVARIES

produce ova (eggs)

URETER

carry urine to bladder

FAT BODIES

store energy for hibernation

NICTITATING
MEMBRANE
EUSTACHIAN TUBES

protect eye (goggles)

INTERNAL NARES

aid in detection of prey

involved in hearing

web.mit.edu

These are the words you will need to know for the practical exam. Study every night,
spelling counts! During lab, check off the boxes once YOU can identify each part.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.

Ventral
Dorsal
Anterior
Posterior
Thumb
Wrist
Hand
Upper Arm
Fore Leg
Thigh
Lower Leg
Ankle
Webbed Foot
Hind Leg
Eyes
Head
Throat
Thorax
Abdomen
Nictitating Membrane
Tympanum
External Nares (Nostril)
Vomerine Teeth

24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.

Maxillary Teeth
Internal Nares
Eye Socket
Palate
Gullet
Glottis
Eustachian Tube Opening
Tongue
Heart (2 atria 1 ventricle)
Stomach
Lungs
Liver
Gall Bladder
Spleen
Kidneys
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
Cloaca/ Anus
Testes
Oviduct
Ovaries
Fat Bodies
Ureter (*may not see)

Special Notes for Practical Day:

Get lots of sleep the night before

Dont leave any blanks

Write hints to yourself in the margin

i.e. the greenish organ, looks like a pea (for when you have time at later stations)
Nothing on the practical exam repeats

10

Liver

Stomach

Spleen

Gall Bladder

Lungs

Large Intestine

Small Intestine

Kidney

Fat Bodies

Ovary

Pancreas

Heart

Oviduct

LZHS Frog Dissection Lab

Biology I CP

Testes

11

1. Put your dissection pan/kit # and Names/Hour on your lab & bag.
2. Wear goggles/glasses at all times.
3. Wear gloves when touching the frog.
4. Wash and label your gloves & place in specimen bag each day (same
gloves for 4 days).
5. Wrap your frog in a paper towel, run under water, & put in bag each
day.
6. Points will be deducted for areas/equipment not cleaned or put away
properly.
7. Inappropriate behavior will result in removal from lab. A zero for
that, and each remaining, day will be recorded. You will learn the
frog on your own time.
8. Study/Review notes, lab, operation frog, & froguts.com EVERY DAY!
9. Have a goal each day. (Today = 1-22 on Kermit Study Guide)
10. Form study groups before/after school

LZHS Frog Dissection Lab

Biology I CP

web.mit.
edu

12