Shark+Terminology+&+Materials

Terminology and Materials

1. Alex, Brittany, Shawna, Katie

Terminology: Anterior – Structures closer to the head (same as cranial). Caudal – Structures closer to the tail (same as posterior). Cranial – Structures closer to the head (same as anterior). Deep – Structures farther from the surface of the body. Distal – Structures farther from the main mass of the body. Dorsal – Towards the back, as opposed to the belly-side. Lateral – Structures farther from the midline of the body. Medial – Structures closer to the midline of the body. Posterior – Structures closer to the tail (same as caudal). Proximal – Structures closer to the main mass of the body. Rostral – Structure closest to the snout (nose). Superficial – Structures closer to the surface of the body. Ventral – Towards the belly-side, as opposed to the back.

Materials:

Dissecting Tray (Large) Dissecting Scissors Dogfish Shark Forceps Preservation Fluid Probe Protective Gloves Ruler (Meter stick) Scalpel

Sarah, Chris, Katherine

Before starting the external view of the spiny dogfish, become familiar with these important terms. One should be able to view the spots on the shark on the dorsal side, which is the backside, of the animal. When the shark is turned over on its ventral, or belly side, opposite to the dorsal side. Lateral refers to being farther from the middle of the shark, which is where the claspers are present. The rostrum and spiracles are around the cranial region of the shark, meaning the head area. The caudal fins are important for the movement of the shark and it in the posterior( end) of the shark. The last terms you should be familiar with are proximal and distal. Proximal is defined as closer to the main body mass, and distal is farther from the body mass. This would be things such as on the pectoral fin, but closer to the body mass.