Name:
Date:
Period:
Dogfish Shark
Pre-Lab Questions
Read through the dissection packet and answer the following questions. Pages #1-3 need to be completed prior to
doing the lab.
Classification
1. What is the scientific name of the dogfish shark?
2. All chordates share what 4 characteristics at some point during their lifetime?
3. What subphylum do sharks belong to?
4. What are the 5 major groups of vertebrates?
5. What are 5 characteristics that all vertebrates share?
6. All vertebrates are bilaterally symmetrical. What does this mean?
7. Describe the difference between dorsal and ventral.
8. Describe the difference between anterior and posterior.
9. What is a coelom?
10. What level of organization do all vertebrates possess? What does this mean?
11. What is the advantage of an endoskeleton?
12. Vertebrates have a closed circulatory system. What does this mean?
13. What is the advantage of having a complete digestive system?
14. What class do sharks belong too?
15. What is the skeleton of a shark made out of?
16. Where can you find sharks?
Name:
Date:
Period:
17. How many species of shark are there?
18. Why are sharks hunted? Give two reasons.
External Features
19. Why is being torpedo shape an advantage for a shark?
20. Briefly describe each of the following shark features:
a. Spiracle:
b. Eye:
c. Rostrum:
d. Nostril:
e. Mouth:
f.
External gills/ gill slits:
g. Ampullae of Lorenzini:
h. Lateral line:
i.
Fins:
j.
Placoid scales:
21. What is the difference between a homocercal and heterocercal tail? Which do sharks have?
Shark’s Teeth
22. How often does a shark shed its teeth?
23. Sketch a tooth used for:
Impaling Fish
Shearing/Tearing Flesh
Name:
Date:
Internal Anatomy – Read through the directions for the dissection.
Period:
Answer the following questions after reading.
24. How can you determine if your shark is male or female?
25. What is the purpose of the gill lamellae?
26. What does the pancreas do?
27. What does the liver do?
28. What do the kidneys do?
29. What does the stomach do? What is the stomach lined with? Why does it have these structures?
30. What does the heart do? What are the two parts of the heart?
31. What is a cloaca? How does it differ from an anus?
32. What is the urogenital system?
33. What type of reproduction is found in dogfish sharks – oviparous, ovoviviparous, or viviparous? What does this type
of reproduction mean?
34. In dogfish shark, how does the embryo get nutrients?
35. What are three reproductive structures found in males?
36. What are three reproductive structures found in females?
Name:
Date:
Period:
The Shark Dissection
External Anatomy
1. Identify the gender of your shark.
a. Gender:
b. How can you tell?
2. Feel the skin.
a. Describe how it feels.
b. Why does it feel this way? What types of scales do sharks have?
3. Identify each type of fin on the shark. Label the diagram below with the following terms: dorsal fins (x2),
pectoral fin, pelvic fin, anal fin, caudal fin.
4. Locate the spiracle, eyes, nostrils (external nares), mouth and gill slits on your specimen. Label these structures
on the diagram below. You also need to identify the Ampullae de Lorenzini on your specimen. Draw and label
these on the diagram below.
How many pairs of gill slits does your specimen have?
Name:
Date:
Period:
5. The Respiratory System: A shark breathes by extracting the oxygen present in the water in which it lives. Water
is taken in by the mouth or spiracles and passes out through the gills. As it passes over the gills, it moves
through gill lamellae, which increases the surface area available for the removal of oxygen.
a. Using scissors, cut open one or more of the gill slits to uncover the gills. Draw the gills below and label
the following structures: gill filaments, gill lamellae, gill arch, gill rakers.
6. Locate the lateral line. Draw the lateral line on the diagram to the right.
Internal Anatomy – As you go through the dissection, make sure you identify all the organs as they are
discussed. I will be walking around the room and asking questions. You need to be able to tell me what the
different structures are. If you can’t do this, you will lose points! You also need to answer the questions
below as you go through the dissection as well.
7. Teacher Signature for identifying structures when asked: ______________________________________
8. What was the most noticeable structure when you cut open your shark?
9. The shark liver is filled with oil. What is the purpose of this?
10. What did you see when you cut open the stomach? Was there any food in there?
11. What color was the gall bladder? Where did you find the gall bladder?
12. Locate the shark embryos on the back lab table. Draw one of the embryos in the space below.
Optional: (See me if you decide to do any of these things!)
1. Locate and remove the brain.
2. Remove some scales and look at them under the dissecting scope.
3. Remove the lens from the eye.