Comparative Anatomy Disection
Shaista Tejani and Serena Bharia
Parts of a perch
More parts of a perch
Even more parts of a perch
Comparing the Rat and Pig
Unique feature: Pig
The hooves of a pig are a unique because they only have two digits (separations). The hooves help mantain stability and balance and help them to run at faster speeds through rough terrain.
Unique feature: Rat
Discussion
We observed an evidence of evolution today called homologous structures. We found that some of the animals shared the same structures due to common ancestry. The many similar organs and body functions proved that 2 different organisms evolved from a common ancestor. For example, the rat and pig have very similar anatomy which suggests they came from a common ancestor.
Using that evidence, which of the specimen that you observed are most closely related?
Out of the five animals we dissected, we found that the pig and the rat are most closely related. They both basically have the same internal organs to perform their everyday functions as we observed through the dissection. Some of these organs are the liver, stomach, diaphragm, heart, spleen, large intestine, small intestine, etc. We witnessed the similar anatomy between the two animals, and since homologous structures mean a common ancestor is involved, we concluded they would be related the closet, No other set of animals shared as many similarities as the rat and pig. Even though you probably wouldn't think these two animals are very similar apart from their four legs, through this dissection we learned that the interior tells a whole different story. The interior shows you the matching organs and organ systems of the two species.