SNC 2P NAME:______________________

Frog Dissection
Background:
Frogs are vertebrates and as members of the class Amphibia, frogs may live some of their adult lives
on land, but they must return to water to reproduce.
The digestive system consists of the organs of the digestive tract and the accessory organs. From
the esophagus, swallowed food moves into the stomach and then into the small intestine. Bile is a
digestive juice made by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. Bile helps break down fats. It flows
into a tube called the common bile duct, into which pancreatic juice, a digestive juice from the
pancreas containing enzymes and bicarbonate a base that neutralizes stomach acid!, also flows. The
contents of the common bile duct flow into the small intestine, where most of the digestion and
absorption of food into the bloodstream takes place. Indigestible materials pass through the large
intestine and then into the cloaca, the common e"it chamber of the digestive, e"cretory, and
reproductive systems.
The respiratory system consists of the nostrils and the larynx,
which opens into two lungs, hollow sacs with thin walls. Frogs do
not have a diaphragm. They inhale by closing their mouths, then
the bottom of their throat moves down, pulling air in through the
nostrils to the lungs. They exhale with body contractions. Frogs
also respire through their skin.
The circulatory system consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood. The heart has three
chambers# two receiving chambers, or atria, and one sending chamber, or ventricle. This means that
o"ygenated blood mi"es with deo"ygenated blood, making delivery of o"ygen and removal of carbon
dio"ide less efficient in an amphibian compared to a mammal, which has a four$chambered heart that
completely separates o"ygen$rich blood from carbon dio"ide$rich blood. Blood is carried to the heart
in vessels called veins. %eins from different parts of the body enter the right and left atria. Blood
from both atria goes into the ventricle and then is pumped into the arteries, which are blood vessels
that carry blood away from the heart.
Objectives:
ame and describe the organs that make up the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems of the frog.
!ompare and contrast the structures and functions of these systems between frog and human.
"urpose:
In this lab, you will dissect a frog in order to observe the e"ternal and internal structures of frog anatomy.
#aterials:
safety goggles and gloves
preserved frog
dissecting pins &'()!
dissecting tray and paper towels
plastic storage bag and twist tie
forceps and scissors
marking pen
blunt probe
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SNC 2P NAME:______________________
"rocedure#
(. *ut on safety goggles and gloves.
+. *lace a frog on a dissection tray. To determine the $rog%s sex, look at the hand digits, or
fingers, on its forelegs. , male frog usually has thick pads on its -thumbs,- which is one
e"ternal difference between the se"es, as shown in the diagram below. .ale frogs are also
usually smaller than female frogs. /bserve
several frogs to see the difference
between males and females.
0. 1se the diagram below to locate and
identify the e"ternal features of the head.
Find the mouth, external nares &nostrils',
tympani &ear drums' and eyes(
2. Turn the frog on its back and pin down the legs. 3ut the hinges of the mouth and open it wide.
1se the diagram below to locate and identify the structures inside the mouth. 1se a probe to
help find each part# the teeth, the internal nares, the tongue, the openings to the esophagus,
the pharynx, and the slit$like glottis.
4. 5ook for the opening to the frog6s cloaca, located between the hind legs. 1se forceps to lift the
skin and use scissors to cut along the center of the body from the cloaca to the lip. Turn back
the skin, cut toward the side at each leg, and pin the skin flat. The diagram above shows how to
make these cuts.
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SNC 2P NAME:______________________
&. 5ift and cut through the muscles and breast bone to open up the body cavity. If your frog is a
female, the abdominal cavity may be filled with dark)colored eggs. If so, remove the eggs on
one side so you can see the organs underlying them.
7. 1se the diagram below to locate and identify the organs of the digestive system# esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large intestine, cloaca, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas(


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SNC 2P NAME:______________________
8. ,gain refer to the diagrams to identify the parts of the circulatory and respiratory systems
that are in the chest cavity. Find the le$t atrium, right atrium, and ventricle of the heart.
Find an artery attached to the heart and another artery near the backbone. Find a vein near
one of the shoulders. Find the t*o lungs.
9. 1se a probe and scissors to lift and remove the intestines and liver. 1se the following diagram
to identify the parts of the urinary and reproductive systems. :emove the peritoneal
membrane, which is connective tissue that lies on top of the red kidneys. /bserve the yellow
$at bodies that are attached to the kidneys. Find the ureters+ the urinary bladder+ the
testes and sperm ducts in the male+ and the ovaries, oviducts, and uteri in the $emale(
(). :emove the kidneys and look for threadlike spinal nerves that e"tend from the spinal cord.
;issect a thigh, and trace one nerve into a leg muscle. <ote the size and te"ture of the leg
muscles.
((. ;ispose of your materials according to the directions from your teacher.
(+. 3lean up your work area and wash your hands before leaving the lab.
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SNC 2P NAME:______________________
13. COMPLETE THE TABLE BELOW.
PART NAME FUNCTION
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
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SNC 2P NAME:______________________
14. Labe !"e #$!e%$a &%'a$( &) !"e "*+a$ !&%(&.
15. De(,%#be three +a-&% (!%*,!*%a &% )*$,!#&$a similarities be!.ee$ )%&'( a$/ "*+a$(.
10. De(,%#be two +a-&% (!%*,!*%a &% )*$,!#&$a differences be!.ee$ )%&'( a$/ "*+a$(.
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