Comparative Anatomy Dissection
By: Maria Soria and Katy Watkins
Integumentary System
Exposed Body Cavity
Comparative Anatomy: Similarities
Comparative Anatomy: Differences & Unique Structures
Discussion
1. We saw evidence of evolution because all the animals that we dissected had similar structures. All the animals, excluding the starfish, had at least one structure in common with another animal. Some of these structures include the brain, heart, and other internal organs. This shows how closely related these animals may be, possibly coming from a common ancestor.
2. The rat and pig are most closely related because their internal organs look and function almost exactly the same. For example, the have the same digestive and cardiovascular system. The rat dissection pictures were a mere minimization of the pig dissection in regards to the abdominal area. Also, the animals are the two most similarly structured externally. Both have four legs and a tail, ears, etc. Overall, they are the two most similar of all the animals we dissected.
Summary
We did this dissection lab so that we could view and inspect the different anatomical parts and cavities of different organisms. This allowed us to compare and contrast animal to animal and see how they were different and similar. It was surprising to see that, for the most part, the internal makeup of each organism was similar, with the exception of the starfish. However, each organism had its own unique structures when compared to others.