Name _____________________________________
Per ___
Lab Table # ____
Skeletal Muscle Identification
This guide is designed to orient you with some of the major superficial skeletal muscles that are
common to the human and visible on the rat.
Hints:


remove as much adipose (fat) tissue as possible from the rat with forceps and scalpel
use a paper towel to blot the preservative from each muscle group. this will allow you to see the
“grain” of the muscles (what direction the fibers are running)
Directions:
1. Open “Muscle Premium” module from the Desktop
2. Click on “Muscle Actions”
3. Click on the
icon to switch to black background for easier viewing
4. For each of the following regions:
a. select the indicated action,
b. view all the available views (anterior, lateral, etc…)
c. click on each muscle indicated below to highlight it,
check it off, and
d. locate the indicated muscles on your rat
5. You can return to muscle choices by clicking on “Menu” at the bottom of the page and “Back” in
the pop-up navigation window
Region: Shoulder and Arm

Action: Elbow Flexion
o muscles:
___
___
___
___

biceps brachii, long head
biceps brachii, short head
brachialis
brachioradialis
Action: Elbow Extension
o muscles:
___ triceps brachii, long head
___ triceps brachii, lateral head
___ triceps brachii, medial head
Document1
3/19/2016

Actions: Scapula Elevation
o muscle:
___ trapezius

Action: Shoulder Adduction
o muscles:
___ lattisimus dorsi (on the posterior view)
___ pectoralis major (on the anterior view)

Action: Shoulder Abduction
o muscles:
___ deltoid, anterior head
___ deltoid, medial head
___ deltoid posterior head
Region: Forearm and Hand

Action: Hand digits 2-5 extension
o muscle:
___ extensor digitorum

Action: Hand digits 2-5 flexion
o muscle:
___ flexor digitorum superficialis

Action: Wrist flexion
o muscles:
___
___
___
___

flexor pollicis longus
flexor carpi radialis
flexor digitorum superficialis
flexor carpi ulnaris
Action: Wrist extension
o muscles:
___
___
___
___
Document1
extensor carpi radialis longus
extensor carpi radialis brevis
extensor digitorum
extensor carpi ulnaris
3/19/2016
Region: Abdomen

Action: Spine flexion
o muscle:
___ external oblique
Region: Leg

Action: Knee extension
o muscles:
___
___
___
___

Action: Knee flexion
o muscles:
___
___
___
___

rectus femoris
vastus lateralis
vastus medialis
vastus intermedius
biceps femoris, short head
biceps femoris, long head
semitendinosus
semimembranosus
Action: Dorsiflexion
o muscles:
___ tibialis anterior
___ extensor digitorum longus
___ extensor hallucis longus

Action: Plantarflexion
o muscles:
___ gastrocnemius
___ soleus
Document1
3/19/2016