Squid Dissection

Every Friday my Biology class seems to be getting into the routine of doing a dissection. These hands on examinations are very enjoyable, espectially with such neat creatures. The goal of this lab was to investigate and identify the external and internal componenets of our squid to help us further learn about this animal. Looking at the external elements of this organisnm uplcose was super neat because I have only ever seen thhis type of a cephlapod in movies. After observing the external part of the squid we then proceeded to slice open the outer layer with a scalpel carefully avoiding puncutring any of the internal parts before spreading it apart. Locating the different internal components of the squid we were able to connect what we had learned in class with this Kinesthetic experience. For example we learned about the ink jet in class and how it allows the squid to camoflaouge and escape from predatory animals. During the disection we were able to find the ink jet on another group's squid and fully comprehend how it excretes the ink. Some other cool things we learned in class with the hlep of note packages and videos was that the squid has a highly developed brain and advance vision making it one of the smartes creatures in the sea.

These dissections have truly helped me understand more about these organisms and how they survive. They have made me realize that I am a hands on learner who needs to visualize lessons in order to comprehend them fully. Overall the dissection was worth while even though it turned the classroom into a smelly learning envrionment.. I can't wait to see what we dissect next!

1) The squid I dissected had 2 arms and 8 tentacles.

2) The arm is better for grabbing prey and holding onto them, as well as latching onto surfaces like cave walls.
Tentacles are shorter and quicker which is why they help more with locomotion.

3. Water comes out the back of the funnel propelling the squid forward.

4)Two external features that are adaptations for the squid's predatory life include tentacles which help the squid grasp things and feed on things. Another adaptation is the waterjet helps for proulsion and movement.

 

5) Suids and mollusks share a body cavity (colem) and botha re bilaterally symmetrical.

1) The squid has 2 gills. Marking them is the green arrows.



2) The inc sac empties into the waterjet. The function is to distract and escape predators acting as a defense system.

3. The function of the pen is to stabilize the squid when swimming. Without the pen the squid would loose its shape and eventually collapse.



4.Waste exits through the anus then the water jet..

Annelid Dissection

         On Friday I got to experience my first dissection in Biology 11. We were assigned partners and given a procedure package in which we were to follow while disecting the annelid. At first cutting open a former living creature somewhat disturbed me, however after I sliced the thin skin of the earthworm I was fascinated to discover the interior structures of this organism. Previous to this lab we had been learning about annelids in class and to follow up on the notes we were able to dissect this creature for a better understanding of the information in how earthworms live. The purpose of this assignment was to further learn about the internal and external structures of this organism and with a hands on experience like dissecting, this was achieved. This independent investigation in a neat learning environment helped me comprehend the key information in a precise way. I have learned to love dissecting, I think it is great benefit to our classroom learning and I hope to do this again soon!

1.The pumping organs of the circulatory system in an earthworm are the five aortic arches, or hearts.

via: Jordan Cameron

2. Food enters the mouth, which then goes to the pharynx, enters between pharynx and the crop - esophogus, broken down in the gizzard, then moves through intestine where it's body absorbs nutrients, then the waste is excreted through the anus.

3. Unfortuantely I couldn't get a close up of the brain. The earthworm's brain  is the ganglia above the pharynx (celebral ganglion) and it's connected to the rest of the body through the ventral nerve cord.

 

4. This picture is clearly representing the anus. The anus and the nephridia is the part of the excretory system that we saw when dissecting this earthworm.

5. This picture of the intesting clearly shows that the insides are brown. To find out if the worm eats soil Gabi and I cut the intestine open. We found exactly what was predicted.. Soil!

                             6. Setae help the earthworm move through the soil. Hardly any movement would occur without the help of the setae, also assist in feeling of soil and vibrations.

7. This is a clear picture of the earthworm's digestive tract. The earthworm takes in a mixture of soil and organic matter through its mouth. After moving through the pharynx and esophogus it's then temporarily stored in the corp. After this process in completed the mixture is ground up in the gizzard and then digested and absorbed by the intestine. The undigested material are excreted through the rectum and anus and become fertilizer.

8. After segment 32 Gabi and I observed the intestine and the anus, nephridia and blood.



9. Earthworms have bothe eggs and sperms making them hermaphroditic. Eggs exit through the female genital pores and the sperm goes through the male genital spores. When mating earthworms attach on to eachother and send sperm into one another. Earthworms have a clitellum which produces a sticky ring for fertilization.

Zoology WebQuest

Platyhelminthes

Genes: Prostheceraeus
Species: giesbrechtii
Family: Euryleptidae
Roses, Costa Brava, Spain is where you can find these beautiful flatworms, they grow around 30mm in length.

 

Genus: Pseudoceros
Species: ferrugineus
Family: Pseudocerotidae

Genus: Thysanozoon
Species: sp.
Family: Pseudocerotidae
Found in the red sea

Cnidaria

Specific name: Eunicella tricoronata
Common name: Sinuous sea fan
 Genus: Eunicella
Species: Eunicella tricoronata
This cnidaria is a vivid yellow-orange and has flattend and sinous stems of 7 to 10 mm wide.

Scientific name: Chrysaora sp
Common name: Frilly Mouthed Jellyfish
Genus: Chrysaora
Species: Chrysaora sp
Found in open water on the West coast to Port Elizabeth,
these jellyfish have 24 tentacles.

Scientific name: Anthostella stepensoni
Common name: Violet spotted anemone
Genus: Anthostella
Species: Anthostella stepensoni
Found througouht South Africa feeding on soft corals.

 

Porifera

Scientific name: Spheciospongia sp
Common name: Vagabond sponge
Genus: Spheciospongia
Species: Spheciospongia sp
These sponges can be found in the East coast of South Africa, they are found in depths from 10-30m



Scientific name: Haliclona oculata-1
Common name: Purple encrusted turret sponge
Genus: Haliclona
Species: Haliclona oculata-1
This type of porifera grow on the walls of subtidal reefs, they can grow up to 50cm across and 10cm high.

Scientific name: Ciocalypta penicillus
  Common name: White Pencil Sponge
Genus: Ciocalypta
Species: Ciocalypta penicillus
The White pencil sponge is a filter feeder and can be found in depths of 30m.

 

Aquarium Field Trip

         On Thursday our Biology class went on an awesome field trip to the Vancouver Aquarium. We were split into two groups, my group got to explore the aquarium examining the breathtaking creatures of the Sea and Amazon! It was cool to observe on our own before we were sent to the classroom, where we were admitted to hold and learn about the critters we had been learning about in class. The purpose of this was to investigate the organisms up close and have a hands on experience to help us fully understand these creature’s abilities. My favourite component was when we got to touch the sea anemone. With the exposure of these compelling creatures it helped us further learn and understand the biological world. It was interesting and fun to have had the chance to experience this exclusive activity! This Aquarium field has been very beneficial, providing us with visual and hands on learning techniques to aid in the comprehension of their lives. Also this trip allowed us to observe many diverse organisms up close, giving us an exclusive opportunity that I am so thankful to have experienced with my class and Ms.Ianonne!

 

1. Symbiotic relationship between clownfish and sea anenome.
-Clown fish depends on anenome for protection
-sea anenome is cleaned by clown fish

 

 

2.Sea Otters spend a lot of time cleaning their coats because clean fur is better for trapping oxygen.
3.) Before the 1900's, you could find Sea Otters near Amchitka Island, Alaska, and Monterey, California.
They were re-introduced to Canada in the years 1969 and 1970

4. The sea anenomes were mostly green and blue in this tank.

 

 



5.This Japanese Sea Nettle has to be my favourite intervertebrate along with many others in the class because of its vibrant colours and magnificent beauty. Its adaptions for survival are obviously it's harmful stinging tentacles.



 

6.The scientific name for a Beluga whale is " Delphinapterus Leucas" There are 2 Beluga whales found in the Vancouver Aquarium.

 
7.This picture I found on the internet, since there were not in the aquarium. They move by their strong tail.

9. Two interesting adaptations the Starry Flounders retains is
swimming in shallow waters and it can camoflauge with ease.



10.Moon Jellies move by proopelling through the water by the medusa. To eat, these jellies sting their prey with nematocytes.

11. The white suction cups are good for catching prey and sticking to caves or rocks. They are known as one of natures best predators because they are magnificent at hiding making them hard to find.


12. The stellar sea lion hunts in packs to eat a carnivorous diet including fish and squid.

13/14.This is the caiman, it came from Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. The colour of the crocodile is brown and green mainly for camoflauge since it lives in murky swamps and rivers.

 

 

15.) This is the largest fish in the Aquarium, apart from some of the sturgeons.

 

16.This fish in the amazon is called a Redhook Silver Dollar, wchich eats the seeds of riverside shrubs.

17. Suprisingly pirhannas never really distrub swimmers and they are not harmful, unless you are removing a hook from it's mouth.

18. Sharks do not have any bones, however they do have a cartilage based skeleton.

19. Other animals that can be found in the shark tank include sting rays!

20. The Giant Red Sea Urchin's scientific name is  Strongylocentrotus Franciscanus. These spikey looking needles are exactly what they look like and will harm any prey that comes too close.

21. Archefish find their food by spitting water at flying insects. The force of the water stuns the object for a moment and during this time the archefish then swallows it.

 

 

22. The sea turtle found in the tropic zone is named Schoona.

 

Monica, Marrisa, Me and Gabi

Holding the sea urchins and facing my fears!