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Fish Dissection Guide

The document provides a guide to dissecting a bony fish with 11 steps: 1) Observe the fish's external anatomy and identify fins and other structures. 2) Locate the anus and make an incision from the anus toward the head. 3) Continue the incision forward to expose the ribs and internal organs. 4) Make vertical cuts behind the gills to further expose internal structures.

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JJ Almagro
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326 views2 pages

Fish Dissection Guide

The document provides a guide to dissecting a bony fish with 11 steps: 1) Observe the fish's external anatomy and identify fins and other structures. 2) Locate the anus and make an incision from the anus toward the head. 3) Continue the incision forward to expose the ribs and internal organs. 4) Make vertical cuts behind the gills to further expose internal structures.

Uploaded by

JJ Almagro
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Table 1.

Guide to the Dissection of a Bony Fish


1. Place fish on a tray and observe its external anatomy.
Identify the different fins. Also identify other external
structures (eyes, lips, nostrils/nares, operculum, gills,
lateral line). Peel off some scales and look at it up
close.

2. Locate the anus. Begin by inserting a fine scalpel


blade or dissecting scissors into the anus (also called
the vent) of the fish. The anus is located just anterior
to (in front of) the anal fin, on the ventral (lower) side
of the fish in most fishes.

3. Cut/Make an incision extending anteriorly along the


fish's belly towards the head. Cut between the pelvic
fins then forward until you reach the narrow, fleshy
space beneath the head and between the gill covers.

4. On the left side of the fish’s body, cut a vertical line behind the gills, starting from the initial incision on the ventral
midline then upwards. Do the same on the posterior end but cut from the anus then upwards. Carefully lift the flesh
to expose the ribs of the fish and some internal organs.

5. Tract the digestive system either starting from the mouth or from the anus. Located the stomach (fist-like organ).
Locate the intestines, and remove it and stretch it out on the tray. Cut open the stomach to see what the fish last ate.

6. Locate the heart. It is located near the pectoral fins or below the gills and is dark red in colour with coagulated blood.
If the fish’s heart is large enough, you may be able to dissect it to see the 2 chambers inside (upper chamber is
atrium, lower chamber is ventricle).

7. Locate the liver. It is the largest organ in the fish. It is red in color.

8. Locate the swim bladder. It is a membranous sac located at the most dorsal area behind the ribs and just beneath
the vertebral column. This is filled with air and is responsible in maintaining the fish’s buoyancy. This is only found in
bony fishes (not present in sharks).

9. Pull behind the head and carefully cut off the operculum to expose the gills (fan/feathery-like). The gill filaments
are full of capillaries to be able to extract more oxygen from water.

10. Remove the translucent covering of the eyes. Using tweezers, you can find the lens on the pupil, which is almost a
perfect sphere.

11. Determine if your fish is male or female. Males will have 2 large sacs towards their rear. Females will have 1 sac,
sometimes filled with eggs.
Skill-building Activities
• Read the instructions carefully and answer accordingly. Good Luck!\

1) Identify and label the external structures of a bony fish

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