Fetal Pig Dissection Pre-Lab
Name___________________________
How old is your pig? The age of a fetal pig is determined by its length. Measure body length along
the back following the spine from the tip of the snout to the start of the tail.
Length of Fetus
cm
mm
1.1
11
1.7
17
2.8
28
Approximate
Age (days)
21
35
49
Length of Fetus
cm
mm
4.0
40
22.0
220
30.0
300
Approximate
Age (days)
56
100
Full Term 112-115
Our fetal pig measures ________ cm (_______ mm) in length. It seems
to be approximately _______ days old.
1.
2. Why do you think we are dissecting pigs while we are studying the human body?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
3. Use the Internet to determine the taxonomy of the fetal pig and a human:
Fetal Pig
Human
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
4. Pigs and humans are both mammals. What are two major characteristics that set mammals apart
from other classes of vertebrates?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
5. Use the internet to determine whether pigs and humans are quadrupeds or bipeds.
Pigs: ______________________
Humans: ________________________
6. Look at the pig in the bag. Record at least six observations.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
7. How many toes are present on each foot? ___________________________________________
8. Are the hooves split or fused? _____________________________________________________
9. What is the sex of your fetal pig? How do you know? ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
10. Label Figure 1 and Figure 2:
Anatomical Terminology
Directions or Positions
Anterior (Cranial)
Posterior (Caudal)
Dorsal (Superior)
Ventral (Inferior)
Lateral
Medial
Proximal
toward the head
toward the tail
toward the backbone
toward the belly
toward the side
toward the midline
lying near the point of reference
Planes or Sections Through the Body
Transverse (Cross Section)
Sagittal
Frontal (Coronal)
perpendicular to the long axis of the body
a longitudinal section separating the body into right and left sides
a longitudinal section dividing specimen into dorsal & ventral parts