GENERAL BIOLOGY 2

Performance Task 3
Frog Dissection

GENERAL BIOLOGY 2
LABORATORY ACTIVITY 3
External Anatomy of the Frog

Introduction:
Frogs belong to the class Amphibia. Amphibians have adaptations for living in terrestrial as well as aquatic
environment. Frogs are among the most commonly studied organisms in biology. Although many differences exist
between humans and frogs, the basic body plans are similar. Humans and frogs both belong to the phylum Chordata.
By studying the anatomy of the frog, you will be better able to understand your own body. In this investigation you
will observe the external features of a preserved frog and identify parts of its external anatomy. You will also dissect
the preserved frog to observe its internal anatomy and make comparisons to human anatomy.

Objectives:
At the end of the activity, the students should be able to:
1. Draw the frog in anterior, posterior, left, right, dorsal, and ventral views;
2. Identify selected structures of the frog’s exterior, oral cavity, and ear;
3. Dissect the frog without profuse bleeding and damaging pertinent structures;
4. Identify selected structures of the muscular, digestive, urogenital, respiratory and circulatory system;
5. Describe the function of the structures found.

Materials, tools, and equipment:

 Dissecting kit  Lab gown
 Dissecting pan  Gloves
 Frog  Face mask
 Rag  Safety goggles
 Alcohol  Hairnet (optional)
 Garbage Bag  Ziplock (enough size to fit the frog)

Before dissection:
1. Make sure that you are wearing complete personal protective equipment (PPE) which includes, but not
limited to, the lab gown, gloves, face mask, safety goggles, and hairnet (optional). For those with long hair,
tie them securely like a ponytail.
2. Make sure that your table and the storage boxes below are clean from any litters and unnecessary materials.
Messy tables will incur deductions to your laboratory grade.
3. Read the procedures carefully before doing anything to avoid harming yourself and your frog.
4. Familiarize yourself with your dissecting kit. Be careful with the sharp tools especially your scalpel. It is sharp
enough to cut through your muscles. Never point sharp tools towards yourself nor your classmates. Always
cut away from your body and away from others.
5. Treat the preserved animal, preservations solution, and all the equipment that touches the organism as
potential hazards. Do not touch your eyes or your mouth with your hands.
6. Return or dispose of all materials according to the instructions of your teacher.
7. Wash your hands with soap and warm water after carrying out this investigation.
8. Report any untoward incident such as injury or frog escape to your teacher immediately.

Procedure:
Procuring of Animals
Orders for animals should be placed with an animal supplier two-three days before dissection is to be performed.

Securing the frog

Get a frog from the container. To secure the frog, hold it on the groove just below the paired prominences (the
sacrum) on its back using your index finger and thumb. For better grip, make sure that your index finger and thumb
almost touch each other at the grooves. Cover the frog’s eyes by using your other hand and putting it just above its
immediate line of sight. This will prevent the frog from struggling too much.

Pithing the frog

When the frog is no longer struggling, use your nondominant hand to hold the frog prior to pithing. Place your index
finger just above the skull and your middle finger below the jaw. Put your thumb at the back of the skull to push the

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Performance Task 3
Frog Dissection

frog’s body until its head almost forms a 90-degree angle to the body. Using a pithing needle, try to trace the midline
of the skull until you come to a soft spot. Using your pithing needle, puncture the soft spot and slide the needle side-
to-side to destroy the brain. Do not apply too much pressure in puncturing to avoid injuring yourself. Upon pithing,
the frog may secrete a yellowish substance behind the eyes. Avoid skin contact with this substance to prevent
irritation.

Frog Exterior
The forelimb of the frog includes the following parts from proximal to distal: brachium, antebrachium, and manus.
The manus has 4 digits. A male frog usually has thick pads on its “thumbs,” which is one external difference between
the sexes. Male frogs are also usually smaller than female frogs. The hindlimb of the frog includes the following parts
from proximal to distal: femur, crus, and pes. The pes has 5 digits and webbed. The external nares are small, located
anteriorly and close together on the dorsal surface of the snout. A transparent nictitating membrane is seen below
each eye close to the eyelids. You may refer to Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1. Frog exterior.

Frog Ear
Posterior to each eye, the circular tympanic membrane is present. Cut the tympanic membrane and remove it. You
can see the annular cartilage, a ring-shaped structure that supports the tympanic membrane. A small bulb-like
columella is seen from the inside of the annular cartilage.

Figure 3.2. Frog columella and tympanic membrane (annular cartilage not shown).

Frog Oral Cavity

Hold the frog firmly in the dissecting tray. Using scissors, make a small cut at each of the hinged points of the jaw.
Open the mouth as much as possible. Note the large tongue on the floor of the mouth. A single row of small teeth can
be felt around the margin of the upper jaw—the maxillary teeth. The internal nares are openings seen at the anterior
end of the roof of the oral cavity. Medial to these openings are the vomerine teeth. The large posterior lateral openings
are the Eustachian tubes. Ventrally in the oral cavity, posterior to the tongue, is the slit-like glottis, which extends to
the lungs. Posterior to the glottis is the entrance into the esophagus. Probe this entrance gently to verify that it does

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Frog Dissection

extend posteriorly. Look for two openings on the back sides of the floor of the mouth. These are the openings to the
vocal sacs. They are present in male frogs but not in female frogs.

Figure 3.3. Frog oral cavity.

Frog Muscular System

Using a scalpel or scissors, make a small, shallow incision through the skin. Make it shallow enough that only the skin
is incised. Using scissors, continue the incision anteriorly to the level of the axilla (armpit), and posteriorly until the
midway of the hindlimb.

In the anterior end, extend the incision laterally until the posterior of the forelimb, nearing the frog’s dorsal section.
In the posterior end, cut around the margin of the hindlimb. Do this again on the other side of the body to produce
two flaps of skin that are reflected laterally and look like pages of a book. On reflecting the skin, be careful not to cut
the musculocutaneous vein located ventrolaterally. Refer to Figure 4.5.

You can now see the frog musculature. The paired abdominal muscles of the frog running vertically are called rectus
abdominis, separated by a white line of connective tissue called linea alba. At the lateral sides of the frog lie the
external oblique muscles.

Figure 3.4. Incision pattern.

To see the hindlimb muscles, skin the frog by incising the hindlimb midway until the ankle level. Then, cut around
the margin of the ankle to expose all the hindlimb muscles. Look at the femur section first. The large muscle located
medially is the gracilis major, the thinner one located medial to the gracilis major is the gracilis minor. Lateral to the
gracilis major is another large muscle, the sartorius. Together, the gracilis major and sartorius form a V-shape. The
medial muscle on the crus that looks like a stomach is the gastrocnemius.

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Frog Dissection

Figure 3.5. Frog musculature.

Frog Circulatory, Respiratory and Digestive System

You are now ready to cut the muscles. Before cutting, note the path of the ventral abdominal vein, which lies within
the abdominal cavity. Cut anteroposteriorly starting 0.5 cm from the midventral line to avoid cutting the ventral
abdominal vein. Make another parallel cut anteroposteriorly, then make transverse cuts anteriorly and posteriorly
to make muscular flaps just like the ones we did on the skin. Reflecting the flaps will now reveal the viscera of the
frog.
The large, dark mass lying anteriorly is the liver. It has several lobes. Spread the lateral lobes of the liver to expose
the spherical sac-like gall bladder. Lift the anterior body wall to reveal the beating heart, and the reddish translucent
inflating pairs of lungs. Look for the bronchial tubes that extend from the anterior part of the lungs and join with the
trachea, or windpipe. Insert a dropper into the glottis of the frog. Pump air into the lungs and observe what happens.

The heart is encased in a membranous sac called the pericardium. With the tip of the scissors, carefully cut open the
pericardium. Carefully cut the blood vessels leading to and from the heart. Remove the heart from the frog. Place the
heart in the dissecting tray with the dorsal surface facing up. Identify the right and left atria and the ventricle. Touch
and compare the walls of the two atria and the ventricle.

Find the stomach, located lateral to the left lobe of the liver. Anteriorly, it leads to the esophagus. Trace it as it narrows
down and lead to the narrow, coiled small intestine. Trace the small intestine at it leads to the short, wide large
intestine that leads to the cloaca. The pancreas lies in the mesentery between the stomach and the duodenum, the
first part of the small intestine. The spleen is a dark, oval-shaped body lying in the mesentery farther distally and
dorsal to the small intestine. Examine the posterior part of the body to find the large, thin-walled urinary bladder,
which also leads to the cloaca.

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Frog Dissection

Figure 3.6. Frog digestive system with lungs (heart and ventral abdominal vein not shown).

Frog Urogenital System

In female frogs, you may have already found the black, speckled structures lying posterior to the liver—the ovaries.
In male frogs, the testes are small, paired oval-shaped bodies found dorsally and lateral to the posterior vena cava,
near the kidneys. The kidneys lie on the dorsal wall of the body cavity. They are dark, flattened, ovoid structures. The
yellow, fingerlike lobes attached to the kidneys are fat bodies. A small, twisted tube called the ureter leads from each
kidney into the saclike urinary bladder. The bladder is connected to the cloaca. The adrenal glands lie along the
ventral surface of the kidney and appear as lighter-colored bands. Along the lateral margin of the kidneys are the
paired archinephric ducts, which leads posteriorly to the cloaca.

Figure 3.7. Frog urogenital system (archinephric ducts shown but not labeled).

After dissection:
1. Dispose of the frog properly. It’s a living thing and we want it to be disposed of decently.
2. Wash your dissecting tools and dissecting pan in the sink.
3. Clean your tables and your storage boxes. Make them clear from any materials to prevent deductions. There
should be no splatters in the tables and storage boxes after the laboratory activity.
4. Accomplish your laboratory activity sheets by pair. Some questions may need some further researching.
5. Only your teacher is authorized to put check marks on the structure list. Checking them without authority is
a form of cheating and will warrant disciplinary action.

Reference:
De Iuliis, G. and Pulera, D. (2007). The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual. China: Elsevier Inc.

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Frog Dissection

GENERAL BIOLOGY 2
LABORATORY ACTIVITY
External Anatomy of the Frog

Names: _______________________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Grade and Section: __________________________________________________ Teacher: ________________________

I. Checklist of Structures: The teacher will put a checkmark if the group can pinpoint the structure. (20 pts)

Frog Exterior Frog Oral Cavity Frog Ear

___ External nares ___ Tongue ___ Annular cartilage
___ Eye ___ Internal nares ___ Columella
___ Tympanic membrane ___ Vomerine teeth
___ Nictitating membrane ___ Maxillary teeth Frog Sex: __________
___ Brachium ___ Eustachian tube
___ Antebrachium ___ Esophagus
___ Manus ___ Glottis
___ Femur
___ Crus
___ Pes

II. Post-lab Questions:

Write one function of the following structures. (10 pts)

Structure Function

Nictitating membrane

Webbed feet of the pes

Internal nares

Eustachian tube

Columella

Answer the following questions. (10 pts)

1. Why is it important for the frog to be always kept moist?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Compare the frog limbs to human limbs. Are they homologous or analogous structures? In what ways do
they differ? Explain in light of evolution.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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3. Explain the mechanism of frog hearing.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. When living, you may see frogs expanding their buccal cavity. Explain why this happens.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Is your frog male or female? How can you tell?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Use this space to draw your frog in four perspectives: anterior, posterior, dorsal, ventral. You can also use the back
page or separate page if necessary. (20 pts)

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Performance Task 3
Frog Dissection

GENERAL BIOLOGY 2
LABORATORY ACTIVITY
Internal Anatomy of the Frog

Names: _______________________________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Grade and Section: __________________________________________________ Teacher: ________________________

I. Checklist of Structures: The teacher will put a checkmark if the group can pinpoint the structure. (25 pts)

Frog Muscular System Frog Circulatory & Respiratory Frog Urogenital System
Body System ___ Ovary (female)
___ Linea alba ___ Heart ___ Testes (male)
___ Rectus abdominis ___ Ventricle ___ Kidneys (left and right)
___ External oblique ___ Atrium ___ Adrenal glands
___ Lungs ___ Urinary bladder
Leg ___ Bronchial Tubes ___ Ureter
___ Sartorius ___ Trachea ___ Cloaca
___ Gastrocnemius
Frog Digestive System
___ Esophagus
___ Liver
___ Stomach
___ Pancreas
___ Gall bladder
___ Small intestine
___ Large intestine
II. Post-lab Questions:
Complete the table. (20 pts)
Structure Function
Linea alba
Rectus abdominis
External oblique
Gracilis minor
Gracilis major
Sartorius
Gastrocnemius
Ventral abdominal vein
Spleen
Archinephric duct

Answer the following questions. (10 pts)

1. Why are frog ovaries larger than human ovaries?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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2. In terms of structure, the frog digestive system is highly similar to that of the human digestive system except
for one organ. What is this organ and how does this differ between the frog and human digestive system?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. In humans, a diaphragm is a muscle present below the lungs. In frogs, diaphragm is absent. Explain this
difference in light of frog and human breathing mechanisms.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4-5. The following organs are similar for frogs and humans. Explain the adaptations of these organs:
a. Very thin and translucent pair of lungs
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Highly coiled and narrow small intestine

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Use this space for your internal anatomy drawings and notes. You can also use the back page or separate page if
necessary. (5 pts)