Mink Dissection Lab Report

Purpose/Abstract

A minks body function has similarities as a humans body, therefore, we use minks as a understanding of the human anatomy.

Introduction

Anatomy classes often use minks for dissection to help teach students about the anatomy of a body. Dissections are the cutting apart and separation of tissue and it is useful and follows comparative anatomy, the study of different species similar to the human body. Mink dissections are useful because they teaches students through visually and hands on learning. Scientists use other species, such as a minks, to study and understand the complexity of a human body and develop more of an understanding. Using different species learns more about the animal and the human body. Mink anatomy is used

The experimenters noticed the mink was a male. The dissection began with an posterior I-Cut stemming from the shoulders, down the abdomen to the hips. A scalpel was used lightly to open the abdominal skin, however not cutting too deep to where the abdominal wall was opened. The skin was stiff near the abdominal area, thin on the arms, and thicker around the legs. After the skin was peeled back with forceps and scalpel, the muscle was exposed. The experimenters located ten muscles by using a probe to make the certain muscle located more visible. The first muscle found was the sternomastoid located in the center of the neck, following was the biceps brachii which was located in the shoulders, the pectoralis muscle was located in the mid-chest area, the sartorius was located in the top thigh area in the middle from hip region to the knee, the tibialis anterior was located right on the tibia bone. Next muscle was the triceps brachii, which was three muscles, located in the upper arm area. The masseter muscle was located on the head in between the ear canal and the jaw, the rectus abdominis was located posterior abdominal area, the gastrocnemius was located on the calf of the legs, and the last muscle located was the rectus femoris was on the upper thigh region on the femur

Differences such as, “humans do not have the longissimus dorsi on the superficial layer which covers the majority of the back for the mink. It covers from the end of the latissimus dorsi all the way until the bottom of the vertebrae.” (UKessays) The possible reason for humans not having the longissimus dorsi on the superficial layer is because minks walk with four legs while human walk with only two legs. Understanding the differences between the minks anatomy and a human help scientists find new and dramatic changes of species and also find reasons of the same organs are used differently. A disadvantage in using a mink to compare it to the anatomy of a human is the size of a mink. Minks are much smaller than a human. A comparison could be misleading because some small functions could not work in the mink but work way differently in the human