Frog Dissecton

SCIENCE 10
FROG DISSECTION
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
FROG DISSECTON
Background:
As members of the class Amphibian, frogs may live some of their adult lives on land, but they
must return to water to reproduce. Eggs are laid and fertilized in water. On the outside of the frog’s
head are two external nares, or nostrils; two tympani, or eardrums; and two eyes, each of which has
three lids. The third lid, called the nictitating membrane, is transparent. Inside the mouth are two
internal nares, or openings into the nostrils; two vomerine teeth in the middle of the roof of the
mouth; and two maxillary teeth at the sides of the mouth. Also inside the mouth behind the tongue is
the pharynx, or throat.
In the pharynx, there are several openings: one into the esophagus, the tube into which food
is swallowed; one into the glottis, through which air enters the larynx, or voice box; and two into the
Eustachian tubes, which connect the pharynx to the ear. The digestive system consists of the organs
of the digestive tract, or food tube, and the digestive glands. From the esophagus, swallowed food
moves into the stomach and then into the small intestine. Bile is a digestive juice made by the liver
and stored in the gallbladder. Bile flows into a tube called the common bile duct, into which
pancreatic juice, a digestive juice from the pancreas, also flows. The contents of the common bile duct
flow into the small intestine, where most of the digestion and absorption of food into the bloodstream
takes place.
Indigestible materials pass through the large intestine and then into the cloaca, the common
exit chamber of the digestive, excretory, and reproductive systems. The respiratory system consists
of the nostrils and the larynx, which opens into two lungs, hollow sacs with thin walls. The walls of
the lungs are filled with capillaries, which are microscopic blood vessels through which materials
pass into and out of the blood. The circulatory system consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood.
The heart has two receiving chambers, or atria, and one sending chamber, or ventricle. Blood is
carried to the heart in vessels called veins. Veins from different parts of the body enter the right and
left atria. Blood from both atria goes into the ventricle and then is pumped into the arteries, which
are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.
The urinary system consists of the frog’s kidneys, ureters, bladder, and cloaca. The kidneys
are organs that excrete urine. Connected to each kidney is a ureter, a tube through which urine passes
into the urinary bladder, a sac that stores urine until it passes out of the body through the cloaca. The
organs of the male reproductive system are the testes, sperm ducts, and cloaca. Those of the female
system are the ovaries, oviducts, uteri, and cloaca. The testes produce sperm, or male sex cells, which
move through sperm ducts, tubes that carry sperm into the cloaca, from which the sperm move
outside the body. The ovaries produce eggs, or female sex cells, which move through oviducts into
the uteri, then through the cloaca outside the body.
The central nervous system of the frog consists of the brain, which is enclosed in the skull,
and the spinal cord, which is enclosed in the backbone. Nerves branch out from the spinal cord. The
frog’s skeletal and muscular systems consist of its framework of bones and joints, to which nearly all
the voluntary muscles of the body are attached. Voluntary muscles, which are those over which the
frog has control, occur in pairs of flexors and extensors. When a flexor of a leg or other body part
contracts, that part is bent. When the extensor of that body part contracts, the part straightens.
SCIENCE 10
FROG DISSECTION
Objectives:
• Describe the appearance of various organs found in the frog.
• Name the organs that make up various systems of the frog.
Procedure: In this lab, you will dissect a frog in order to observe the external and internal structures
of frog anatomy.
1. Put on safety goggles, gloves, and a lab apron.

2. Put the frog in a container with Acetone and shake until suffocated.
3. Place a frog on a dissection
tray. To determine the frog’s
sex, look at the hand digits, or
fingers, on its forelegs. A male
frog usually has thick pads on
its "thumbs,” which is one
external difference between
the sexes, as shown in the
diagram below. Male frogs are
also usually smaller than
female frogs. Observe several
frogs to see the difference
between males and females.
4. Use the diagram below to locate and identify the external
features of the head. Find the mouth, external nares, tympani, eyes, and nictitating membranes.
5. Turn the frog on its back and pin down the
legs. Cut the hinges of the mouth and open it wide. Use
the diagram below to locate and identify the
structures inside the mouth. Use a probe to help find
each part: the vomerine teeth, the maxillary teeth, the
internal nares, the tongue, the openings to the
Eustachian tubes, the esophagus, the pharynx, and
the slit-like glottis.
6. Look for the opening to the frog’s

cloaca, located between the hind
legs. Use forceps to lift the skin and
use scissors to cut along the center
of the body from the cloaca to the
lip. Turn back the skin, cut toward
the side at each leg, and pin the skin flat. The diagram above shows how to make these cuts.
7. Lift and cut through the muscles and breast bone to open up the body cavity. If your frog is a
female, the abdominal cavity may be filled with dark-colored eggs. If so, remove the eggs on one
side so you can see the organs underlying them.
8. Use the diagram below to locate and identify the organs of the digestive system: esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large intestine, cloaca, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.
9. Again, refer to the diagram below to identify the parts of the circulatory and respiratory systems
that are in the chest cavity. Find the left atrium, right atrium, and ventricle of the heart. Find an
artery attached to the heart and another artery near the backbone. Find a vein near one of the
shoulders. Find the two lungs.
10. Use a probe and scissors to lift and remove the intestines and liver. Use the diagram on the next
page to identify the parts of the urinary and reproductive systems. Remove the peritoneal
membrane, which is connective tissue that lies on top of the red kidneys. Observe the yellow fat
bodies that are attached to the kidneys. Find the ureters; the urinary bladder; the testes and
sperm ducts in the male; and the ovaries, oviducts, and uteri in the female.
11. Remove the kidneys and look for

threadlike spinal nerves that
extend from the spinal cord.
Dissect a thigh, and trace one
nerve into a leg muscle. Note the
size and texture of the leg muscles.
12. Dispose of your materials
according to the directions from
your teacher.
13. Clean up your work area and wash
your hands before leaving the lab.
SCIENCE 10
FROG DISSECTION
1. Frogs are classified as what vertebrate? ____________________________
2. How frogs reproduce their eggs?
3. What is the Gender of your frog? Insert your picture below.
4. Identify the external features of the head. Put your picture below with labels.
5. Identify the structures inside the mouth. Put your picture below with labels.
6. Identify the organs of the digestive system. Put your picture below with labels.
7. Identify the parts of the circulatory and respiratory systems that are in the chest cavity. Find
the left atrium, right atrium, and ventricle of the heart. Find an artery attached to the heart
and another artery near the backbone. Find a vein near one of the shoulders. Find the two
lungs. Put your picture below with labels.

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SCIENCE 10

1. Put on safety goggles, gloves, and a lab apron.

6. Look for the opening to the frog’s

11. Remove the kidneys and look for

1. Frogs are classified as what vertebrate? ____________________________

2. How frogs reproduce their eggs?

3. What is the Gender of your frog? Insert your picture below.

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