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Comparative Dissections
(Fetal Pig, Sus scofra and American Cockroach, Periplaneta americana)
Animal dissections can be very educational - and very controversial. From our selection of specimens to our management of the sessions, our approach is founded in respectful interactions. The key to respect is understanding and there really is no other way to appreciate an internal comparison between animals. There are some very effective computer simulations and even Internet sites that cover comparative anatomy. But there is an intangible value in seeing, and feeling, first-hand the way animals are designed to survive in their world.
The animals we have selected for this investigation are not culled from natural populations and are by-products of other industries. The cockroaches are reared in captivity for scientific research. They are selected from a large captive population that has existed for many generations. They are killed in the freezer the night before the dissections. This is a somewhat humane method that also preserves them well for the procedure. The fetal pigs are obtained from the Connecticut Valley Biological Supply Company. They are an unfortunate by-product of the butchering industry and would be incinerated if not specially prepared and used for educational purposes.
Our investigation focuses on a comparison between the organisms. We selected these animals also based on the similarities in their lifestyles:
They are both scavengers (eat things they find laying around)
They are both omnivores (eat nearly anything, just like we do!)
They are both terrestrial (live on land)
They are both primarily ambulatory (they mostly walk around)
In order to survive, these animals have had to solve some very similar problems. Some were solved in very similar ways, some in dramatically different ways! We will make comparisons in the following major systems:
|
SYSTEM |
DIFFERENCE? |
| Circulatory | Cockroach blood doesn't carry oxygen |
| Respiratory | Cockroach blood doesn't carry oxygen |
| Digestive | Not much |
| Sensory | Yeah.... a big difference |
Students work in groups of two. Dissecting scopes for the first class session are recommended, but not always supplied. Each student receives take-home dissecting kit. Numerous handouts, laminated study sheets.
3 Sessions
3 Hours per session
$800
*Additional charge for prepared, classroom specimens and dissecting kit
$20 per student
Maximum 16 students (8 groups)