Heart - At the top of the liver, the heart is a triangular structure contained within the two folds of the

pericardium. It functions to pump deoxygenated blood to the lungs and oxygenated blood to the rest of the
body.

Atrium - The anterior portion of the heart consists of two thin-walled vessels, the left and right auricles,
which enclose two chambers of the heart, the atria. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from
the veins and the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and skin.

Ventricle - This chamber is found on the posterior portion of the heart, surrounded by a thick muscular
wall. Both oxygenated and deoxygenated blood from the atria are drained to the ventricle, but the
ventricle is also divided into narrow chambers to keep both blood segregated. When it contracts, it
delivers the blood to the arteries.

Conus arteriosus - This is the large blood vessel that can be seen extending from the heart, coming out
of the ventricle. By tracing this upwards, two large divisions can be found, the truncus arteriori. This
artery delivers the oxygen-rich blood to the body.

Sinus venosus - Carefully lift the heart up and forward and locate the thin triangular vessel connecting to
the dorsal side of the heart. This is the sinus venosus and it receives the blood delivered by the precaval
and postcaval veins.

Carotid artery - Follow one of the truncus arteriori and notice the three arches that emerge from it. The
carotid is the anterior branch, branching further into external and internal carotids. Their function is to
send blood to the head region.

Pulmocutaneous artery - This is the posterior branch from the truncus arteriosus. Notice its two
branches, the pulmonary artery that connects to the lungs, and the musculocutaneous artery which
brings blood to the muscles and the skin.

Systemic artery - This is the middle branch from the truncus arteriosus. Follow this laterally to its largest
branch, the subclavian artery which functions to deliver blood to the upper limbs.

Dorsal aorta - Follow the systemic artery as it arches dorsally and posteriorly and notice that it connects
with the other systemic artery at a point near the sixth vertebra. This junction is the dorsal aorta.

Coeliaco-mesenteric artery - From the dorsal aorta, this is the first branch which subdivides into the
coeliac artery which brings blood to the pancreas, and the anterior mesenteric artery, which supplies the
intestines and the spleen.

Gonadal/genital arteries - the next branch of the dorsal aorta is a pair of gonadal arteries that supply the
male or female reproductive organs of the frog. If the frog is male this is called the spermatic artery and
it leads to the testes. If the frog is female this is called the ovarian artery and it leads to the ovaries.
Renal arteries - After the genital arteries, three pairs of renal arteries branch off of the dorsal aorta and
supply blood to the kidneys

Posterior mesenteric artery - This is the next branch of the dorsal aorta after the renal arteries, and it
supplies blood to the rectum and cloaca.

Iliac arteries - The dorsal aorta finally branches off into two iliac arteries, and each iliac artery further
branches into an internal sciatic artery and an external femoral artery. These function in supplying
blood to the posterior limbs.

Precaval vein - Two precaval veins connect at the anterior of the sinus venosus. Each precaval vein
receives deoxygenated blood from its three main branches: and the posterior subclavian vein which
collects from the anterior limbs and the skin/body walls via its two branches, the brachial vein and the
musculocutaneous vein respectively.

External jugular vein - This is the anterior branch of the precaval vein, and this further divides into the
mandibular vein and the lingual vein which collect from the lower jaw and the mouth respectively

Innominate vein - This is the middle branch of the precaval vein, collecting blood from the head region

Subclavian vein - This is the posterior branch of the precaval vein which collects from the anterior limbs
and the skin/body walls via its two branches, the brachial vein and the musculocutaneous vein
respectively.

Postcaval vein - This is downward branch that connects to the sinus venosus. Its major function is to
collect the blood from various regions of the body.

Hepatic portal system - Trace the postcaval vein posteriorly and notice its first branches, the hepatic
veins, which collect the blood from the liver. Gently lift the liver upward and notice the vein that comes out
of it. This is the hepatic portal vein which collects blood from the digestive organs through the union of
its branches: the gastric vein which collects from the stomach, the intestinal vein collecting from the
intestines, and the splenic vein which collects from the spleen.

Renal portal system - Return to the postcaval vein and continue downward. Notice the branches that
come out of the kidneys and connect to the postcava. These are the renal veins. These originate from a
capillary bed within the kidneys known as the renal portal system, and comes out laterally as the renal
portal vein. It is joined by the sciatic vein, then continues downward to connect with the femoral vein
found on the outer margins of the legs. The femoral vein also has an inner branch, the pelvic vein, which
joins with its counterpart underneath the abdominal muscles to form the anterior abdominal vein, which
continues upward to unite with the hepatic portal vein.

Mesencephalon - This region consists of a pair of roundish bodies on the median portion of the brain,
called the optic lobes
Diencephalon - Also known as the midbrain; this region is found anterior to the optic lobes and is
covered by the choroid plexus, a thin vascular membrane of blood vessels. The pineal body or
epiphysis can also be located here.

Telencephalon - This is the region anterior to the diencephalon. It consists of two cerebral
hemispheres separated by the sagittal fissure. Following this anteriorly it constricts further into the
olfactory lobes, where the olfactory nerves are situated, entering the nasal cavities.

Metencephalon - Go back to the optic lobes and observe the thin wrinkled tissue located posterior to it.
This is the metencephalon, also known as the cerebellum.

Myencephalon - this is the region posterior to the cerebellum, also known as the medulla oblongata. It
is seen as a long, tapering structure connecting to the anterior end of the spinal cord.

Optic chiasma - The ventral view of the brain make the diencephalon more visible. The optic nerves,
whch originate from the retina of the eyes can be seen crossing each other before attaching to the optic
lobes, and the region of junction is known as the optic chiasma. Posterior to this region is the medial
swelling of the floor of the midbrain called the infundibulum

Pituitary gland - This is found attached to the infundibulum. This is also known as the hypophysis

Spinal nerves - By removing the peritoneum and other visceral organs from the spinal column, the spinal
nerves can be seen emerging from it as whitish or yellowish fibers. There are ten pairs of these nerves
that come out of the vertebral openings. The first three pairs form interconnections to form the brachial
plexuses, innervating the forelimbs and the shoulder muscles. The fine nerves consist of the next three
airs of nerves which innervate the back muscles. The sciatic plexuses are formed from the
interconnections of the seventh, eighth, and ninth pairs of nerves, which pass into each hindlimb. The last
pair is called the sciatic nerve and it innervates the shank