Fetal Pig Dissection
By the end of this lab, students will be able to:
 Perform a whole-body dissection of a vertebrate.
 Identify the major anatomical features of the vertebrate body in a dissected
specimen.
 Understand the relationship between structure and function in the vertebrate body
and relate concepts covered in lecture to structures found in your pig.
 Understand mammalian organ systems and structures from physiological and
evolutionary perspective.
 Apply knowledge and understanding to problems in human physiology.
 Apply knowledge and understanding to explain organismal adaptive strategies.
We will be using this lab experience as a way of introducing you to mammalian anatomy. As
such, you will be responsible for learning and understanding the parts of the following
organ systems: digestive; excretory; reproductive; circulatory; respiratory; and nervous.
We will then look at each of the following systems in depth.
In preparation for the fetal pig dissection, go to:
http://www.whitman.edu/biology/vpd/main.html.
For Day 1: Complete the modules on anatomical references, sexing (determining the gender
of) your pig, and through at least the digestive and excretory systems. You may need to unblock pop-ups and resize the window slightly to get the plug-in to work correctly. Complete
the quizzes for each area – these are drag-and-drop labeling questions. The more you do in
preparation, the better your dissection will go!
For Day 2: Complete the remainder of the modules and quizzes.
THERE WILL BE PRE-LAB AND POST-LAB QUIZZES TO ENSURE YOU ARE COMPLETING
THESE MODULES!
During the Lab: We will be completing this lab over the course of several days. (We will
wrap and refrigerate the pigs to ensure they are preserved between sessions.) Complete
the attached sheets during the lab as a means of tracking your progress through the lab and
understanding the pig’s organ systems as a series of interconnected parts!
After the lab: To assess your dissection experience, we will be doing post-lab quizzes,
including having to identify the structures and functions in actual pigs in addition to
diagrams.