Planaria Regeneration Activity Information Heads will…roll?

Lab Objective I’ll just come out and say it: – You’re going to be cutting heads off. Yep, that’s right, we’re going to look at an animal that may be new to you… …and then decapitate it. – It’s gonna get all French Revolution-y up in here.

The Test Subjects Planaria are flatworms, part of the animal phylum Platyhelminthes. They have a relatively simple body plan. – Most obvious are their two eyes which have two dark photoreceptors within them (making them look a little cross- eyed). Their mouths, however, are not where you’d expect to find them.

Planaria Anatomy

Planaria Anatomy

The Lab Sequence Pretty self-explanatory in the class copy of the procedure on which you won’t be writing or spilling water, but here’s a short summary: – Use a pipet to transfer planaria to your petri dish. – Separate the head from the tail at one of three locations using a plastic cover slip. – Check in on the planaria on other days to see how long it takes them to regenerate using their crazy planarian stem cells.

Other Options You may need to chill your planarian and/or reduce the water in the petri dish with a paper towel. – Don’t touch the planarian with a paper towel, though. Need ice? It’s in the cooler.

Analysis Questions They’re on the back. Some of them need to be completed before you start. – Really. The rest can be completed before you turn this in. I guess that’s it. Have fun today!