1. Fetal Pig Dissection!
Work in Groups of 3-4

2. External Observations
Look for the umbilical cord
Try to find the umbilical arteries/veins that connected its blood supply to mom via the placenta
External nares (remember what those are?)
Tongue
External nares
Tongue

3. External Observations
Scrotum
Boy or Girl?
Look under the tail.
If all you see it an anus (hole) then a SMOOTH swollen sac of skin – you have found the SCROTUM and you have a boy!
If you see an anus (hole) plus an obvious folded area of skin. You have found the GENITAL PAPILLA and you have girl!
BOY!
Anus
Genital Papilla
Anus
GIRL!!!

4. Securing your Pig to the tray
Use the 2 pieces of string to secure your pig to the dissecting tray

5. Incision Time
1. Take a scalpel – make a SUPERFICIAL midsagittal incision from chin to umbilical cord
2. Then use scissors to cut along either side of the umbilical cord to create a “flap”

6. Incision Time
3. & 4. Use scissors to make 2 lateral cuts. Avoid the staples on one side of the pig
Also be careful not to demolish the DIAPHRAGM at the base of the rib cage!
Diaphragm

7. Diaphragm
Use scissors to separate the diaphragm from the floor of the rib cage.
You should be left with one big “flap” of Diaphragm that hangs over the liver and stomach
Diaphragm
Diaphragm

8. Separate Skin from rib cage & neck
Using your scapel – separate the skin of the chest area off of the rib cage. Also skin the neck area.
You will have to cut through muscle and connective tissue to do this
It’s like skinning raw chicken!
Using scissors – cut of each half of the rib cage. You should end up with 2 large chunks of ribs in your tray

9. Exposing Larynx and Trachea – pg. 409
Using a SHARP scalpel – remove all muscle and tissue overlying the larynx and trachea
Trachea
Larynx

10. Neck Blood Vessels
Using a BLUNT PROBE – carefully probe on either side of the trachea until you expose
1 PINK common carotid artery on each side
2 BLUE jugular veins on each side
These are the internal and external jugular veins
Common Carotid Artery
Internal Jugular Vein
External Jugular Vein

11. Heart Using a combination of scalpel and scissors:
Cut off the pericardial sac that surrounds the heart
Be careful not to cut off any important blood vessels!
Also not the texture and position of the RIGHT AND LEFT LUNGS.
Heart
Superior Vena Cava
Right Lung
Left Lung

12. Cardiovascular System: Superior Vena Cava, Pulmonary Trunk & Aortic Arch
Right Lung
Left Lung

13. Digestive System
Note: the following are not shown, but you need to know where they are:
Tongue, esophagus, stomach, pancreas
Liver
Large intestine
Gallbladder
Mesentery
Small intestine
(end of colon)
Beginning of Rectum

14. Respiratory System Make sure you can locate: External nares Larynx
Trachea
Diaphragm
lungs

15. Digestive System Be sure you can locate: Tongue Esophagus Stomach
Liver
Gallbladder
Small intestine
Large Intestine
Pancreas
Mesentery
Rectum

16. Fetal Pig Dissection – Day 2

17. Cardiovascular System
1 PINK common carotid artery on each side
2 BLUE jugular veins on each side
These are the internal and external jugular veins
Common Carotid Artery
Internal Jugular Vein
External Jugular Vein

18. Cardiovascular System: Superior Vena Cava, Pulmonary Trunk & Aortic Arch
Right Lung
Left Lung

19. Cardiovascular System: Inferior Vena Cava & Abdominal Aorta
Mesentery
Small Intestine
Inferior Vena Cava
Abdominal Aorta
Rectum

20. Urinary System
Do NOT cut out the intestines to dissect the urinary system!
Push the intestines to one side and use a scalpel or blunt probe to remove the connective tissue around each kidney and ureter
Note the ALLANTOIC or URINARY BLADDER
Rectum
Left Kidney
Right Kidney
Left Ureter
Right Ureter
Allantoic or Urinary Bladder

21. Reproductive System - MALE
Allantoic or Urinary Bladder
Spermatic Cord
Penis
testes
Spermatic Cord
Epididymis
Epididymis
testes

22. Reproductive System - FEMALE
Uterine Horn
Uterine Horn
Ovary
Ovary
Uterine Body
Allantoic Bladder

23. Cardiovascular System – Heart & Spleen