Skeletal System Lab Report

Once I tested out on the mouth, I then had to cut open the body cavity by first cutting a straight line that started just cranial to the hairs on the chin of my pig and ended cranial to the upper limbs of the pig. I then used my scalpel to cut a horizontal cut from the initial incision and pulled the skin and muscle away from the internal structures that I was required to locate in the neck. The internal structures that I had to locate in the neck were the hyoid apparatus, larynx, thyroid gland, trachea, and thymus gland. The hyoid apparatus is a small group of bones located cranial to the larynx that feels like a small marble when one moves their finger over it and applies pressure. The hyoid apparatus is used to anchor the tongue, supports …show more content…
The larynx is a tube made up of cartilage that connects the nasopharynx to the trachea. The larynx also contains the vocal cords and is a part of the respiratory and skeletal systems. Just caudal to the larynx is the thyroid gland. The thyroid has an appearance that is similar to a smooth pebble. The thyroid gland produces thyroxine, which controls metabolism, and is a part of the endocrine system. The trachea is just behind the thryoid gland is a thin, rough tube that connects the larynx to the bronchi. The trachea is a part of the respiratory and skeletal systems. The thymus gland is a two-lobbed gland that surrounds the trachea and is also located just cranial to the heart. The thymus gland secretes thymosine, which assists in the production of plasma cells. The thymus gland is a part of the endocrine system. As the pig matures, the thymus gland will grow smaller and shift slightly …show more content…
To open up the thoracic cavity, I had to make an incision that reached from the center of the horizontal incision to just below where the developing ribs were located. After making that incision, I had to make another horizontal cut, making sure that I did not cut too far back that I would mess up the pig. I then cut away the skin and muscle that was attached to the ribcage. In order to view the organs within the ribcage, I had to use a pair of bone scissors to cut the ribcage open. To do so, I first had to slide the bone scissors under the ribcage, being careful not to puncture anything that was important. I then closed the bone scissors and applied pressure until the two sides of the ribcage popped apart and I could move them see the organs underneath. The organs located within the thoracic cavity were the heart, lungs, trachea, thymus, and thyroid glands. The structures that I was required to locate were the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and the lungs. Deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium through the vena cava, is passed through the tricuspid valve, passes through the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery through the pulmonary valve. Blood is then oxygenated in the lungs and passed back to the heart through the pulmonary vein before passing through the left atrium to the left ventricle through the mitral valve. The oxygenated blood is then passed through the aortic valve to the aorta