Use the Nasco Frog Dissection Guide and the classroom experience to complete these questions.

Write
your responses on lined paper. Be sure to number each response and leave one space between each
response. Write complete sentences that restate the prompt.

Do not remove any of the organs or other parts of the frog until instructed to do so.

EXTERNAL OBSERVATIONS
1. Describe the frog’s limbs.
2. Gently press on the tympanum. How does the tympanum feel different from the rest of the
frog’s body?

MOUTH
3. Where is the tongue attached in the frog’s mouth? How does the frog use its tongue?
4. How many vomerine teeth does your frog have?
5. How many internal nares openings can you find in the mouth?
6. What part of the mouth are the maxillary teeth found in?

HEART
7. Describe the position of the heart.
8. Does the heart appear to be inside a sack? This is the pericardium membrane.
9. How many blood vessels are attached to the heart?
10. How many chambers does the heart have?

LIVER and GALL BLADDER

11. How many parts, or lobes, does the liver have?
12. What organ of the frog’s body is located directly above the middle part of the liver?
13. Gall bladder is attached to the back surface of the liver. Lift up the liver to locate it.
14. What color is the gall bladder?
15. Open up the gall bladder. Was it filled with liquid?
16. What organ was the gall bladder found under?
17. If you have a female frog with ovaries containing eggs, remove the eggs before going on.

ESOPHAGUS
18. Where does the esophagus start?
19. Where does the esophagus end?

PANCREAS
20. What two major parts of the digestive system is the pancreas attached to?

STOMACH
21. Lift the left lobe of the liver to find the stomach
22. What two parts of the digestive system is the stomach connected to?
Using the scissors cut the stomach open lengthwise. Spread it open and pin it down on the dissecting
tray.
23. Does the stomach have anything in it? If yes, what did you find?
24. What does the internal lining of the stomach look like?
25. Where does the food go after the stomach?

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SMALL INTESTINE
26. Is the small intestine straight or coiled?
Remove the small intestine from the frog. DON’T REMOVE THE LARGE INTESTINE YET. Stretch
the small intestine out so it is straight and pin it down.
27. How long, in centimeters, is the small intestine?
Cut the small intestine open lengthwise.
28. Was there anything in the small intestine? If yes, what did you find?
29. Where does the digested food go after the small intestine?

LARGE INTESTINE
30. Is the large intestine straight or coiled?
Remove the large intestine from the frog. Cut the large intestine open lengthwise and pin it down.
31. Was there anything in the large intestine? If yes, what did you find?

CLOACA
32. Where is the cloaca located?
33. The cloaca is a common chamber for which three systems in frog anatomy?

FAT BODIES
34. Does your frog have fat bodies? If yes, what color are they?
35. After looking at the amount of fat bodies in your frog, what season of
36. What are fat bodies used for? Would you expect the frog to have large fat bodies after winter
hibernation?
37. Where are the fat bodies attached in your frog?

LUNGS
38. Remove a lung and describe it. Cut a lung open lengthwise. Describe what you see.

KIDNEYS
39. Draw the shape of the kidneys in your frog.

URINARY BLADDER
40. Where is the urinary bladder located?

REPRODUCTION
41. Do you have a male or female frog?
42.
If you have a male frog, do #42 and #43.

43. Where are the testes located?

44. Draw the kidneys and testes.

If you have a female frog, do #44.

45. Where are the ovaries located? _________________

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 Basic Frog Facts

• Frogs are part of the amphibian order, Anura.

• Frogs have four legs, no neck, and no tails as adults.
• Frogs have loose, mucous lined skin to help them escape from predators.
• Frogs live "dual lives"--part in the water, part on land.
• Frogs breath through gills only as tadpoles.
• Frogs breath though underdeveloped lungs as adults.
• Adult frogs also breath through their skin, called "cutaneous respiration," which
limits body size.
• The mucous lining helps keep the frog hydrated, and is also required for
cutaneous respiration.
• The backs of frogs are dark, while their undersides are light, in order to protect
them through camouflage on land and water, respectively.
• Frogs live on land as adults, but must live near a major water source to help
keep their skin moist, for reproduction, and for certain stages of life.
• Frog brains are smaller and less developed than other vertebrates.
• Strong muscles and special fused bones help frogs be powerful swimmers and
jumpers

Fish vs. Frogs

• Fish have scales, while frog skin is smooth and mucousy.

• Fish have a single loop circulatory system with a two chambered heart, while
frogs have a double loop circulatory system with a three chambered heart. In
fish, deoxygenated and oxygenated blood is completely mixed, while in frogs it
is only partially mixed.
• Both are cold blooded (ectothermic).
• Fish breath through gills as adults, whereas frogs do not.
• Fish can only swim, and require constant water habitats.

Snakes vs. Frogs

• Snakes do not have limbs, but frogs have four legs.

• Frog eggs are shell-less and are fertilized externally in the water. Snake eggs
have leathery shells, are laid on land, and are fertilized internally.
• Snake hearts have a partially divided ventricle, therefore have less mixing of
blood than frogs.
• Snakes have scales, while frog skin is smooth.
• Both swallow their prey whole.

Mammals/Birds vs. Frogs

• Frogs have larger olfactory lobes than birds.

• The cerebrum of frogs is less developed than that in mammals.
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 • Mammals have hearts with four chambers (prevents oxygenated and
deoxygenate blood from mixing), while frogs only have three chambers (allows
some mixing of blood).

Pipkin Middle School Name __________________________________

7th Grade Life Science
Mr. Zeigler Period 1 2 3 4 Teacher

As you perform the frog dissection, check off the structures as you find them. I will ask you to show me at
least 5 organs or structures of your frog's body. The questions may not be at the same time. I may come
back and ask you to show me more organs or structures. Do not cut any more than you have to. Mutilation
and other immature behaviors will not be tolerated. Use all resources provided and pay close attention to
study the external structure, make proper incisions, and identify internal structures. This sheet must be
turned in with your written responses.
Teacher Initials
Student Initials Structure
(must have 5 for full credit)

Tongue
Vomerine Teeth
Maxillary Teeth
Internal Nares
External nares
Heart
Liver
Gall Bladder
Esophagus
Stomach
Small Intestine
Large Intestine
Cloaca
Pancreas
Fat Bodies
Lungs
Kidney
Bladder
Male: Testes
Female: Ovaries/oviducts

Extra Credit
(teacher permission required)

Thighbone

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 Eyeball
Brain
Spinal Cord

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