Fetal Pig Dissection

The propose of this dissection was to widen my knowledge of pig anatomy, and by extension, the anatomy of humans due to the remarkable resemblance between human and pig internal systems. Analysis

Safety is a must when going about the fetal pig dissection. We are directly using sharp and dangerous objects to cut through skin, organs and even bone. We have skin, and organs, and bone, so we must be careful while handling these objects. Don’t run with the scissors! …Or the scalpel, or the pins, or anything else for that matter! Also, there are some obvious safety and respect measures that must be taken with all labs, such as do not ingest any part of the specimen, keep your lab to where it should be (don’t go throwing parts around the room) and be respectful to your peers and the specimen.

The liver in mammalian fetal pig is so large because in the fetus the liver produces all of the fetal blood, including red and white blood cells (the bone marrow only takes over production of blood after birth). That’s why it needs to be so large in the fetus and why it shrinks relative to the rest of the body after birth.

OrganLocation
GallbladderThe Gallbladder is located just beneath the liver. SpleenThe spleen is lateral and ventral to the stomach on the left side. Small IntestineUnder the stomach, and somewhat almost entwined with the large intestine, the small intestines a long tube in the lower abdomen. Large IntestineUnder the stomach, and somewhat almost entwined with the small intestines, the large intestine is a tube located in the lower abdomen. LarynxA part of the respiratory track located between the pharynx and the trachea. KidneysIn a pair, the kidneys are located in parallel spots on the abdomen, about half way up the cavity. StomachSlightly to the left side of the body, the stomach is located halfway through the abdomen.

The reason why the small intestine is so long relative to other organs of body is that most of the absorption of food/nutrients occurs in it, and absorption will be more likely/higher/more effective if the area to cover is larger (Ex. food gets more time and area for its maximum absorption).

In the Right Atrium, blood from the body enters the heart in a deoxygenated state. From here, the deoxygenated blood travels to the Right Ventricle, where it is then pumped to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries to be oxygenated. From the lungs, the now Oxygenated blood flows from the lungs into the Left Atrium, then through the left ventricle to be pumped through to the rest of the body carrying oxygen.

The thoracic cage or rib cage is stiff because it protects some of the most vital organs for the body to function, such as the heart, lungs, and some major blood vessels. The abdominal cavity however, unlike the heart and lungs, contains the digestive track, and particularly the stomach, which can expand and move a considerable amount more than the heart and lungs. In order for peristalsis to occur, the muscles in these visceral organs contract and relax. If there were a rib cage around it, it would restrict movement of these organs.

(No complications arose due to the convenience of the on-line dissections layout and labelling.)