2015 Squid Dissection Lab

Name: _________________________________________________ Date:_________________ Period: _______ #:_____
Squid Dissection Lab

External Anatomy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Locate the water jet. The water jet is found on the ventral side of the squid.
Find the two large eyes on the side of the head.
The tentacles (long) and arms (short) are attached to the head of the squid.
Each arm has sucker disks, count the number of sucker discs on one arm: ______
Squid have 8 arms and 2 tentacles. Find the arms and describe how the suctions cups are arranged.
found on all eight arms? Describe.
Are they
6. Are they found on both tentacles? Describe.
7. How does the anatomy of the suction cups help with the physiology of the suction cups? (How does the way the
suction cup looks help with the way it functions?)
8. Measure one of the arms and one of the tentacles. Record in centimeters. Arm: _________ Tentacles: ________
9. What is the anatomical difference between an arm and a tentacle?
10. Open up the arms and remove any that are in your way. Deep in the middle of the arms is the
mouth and a beak-like jaw. These are located in a bulbous structure called the buccal bulb. Use
forceps to remove the bulb and then the jaw (beak).
11. Draw the beak in the box.
12. After examining it describe what you saw and how it moved.
13. Locate the body, which is covered by the mantle, and locate the two fins.
14. The fins are important for stabilizing and steering the squid. Measure the width of a fin in centimeters and record it.
15. List two locomotives (things that transport people) that have the similar anatomy as these fins.
16. Chromatophores are the cells that can change color. They are used to communicate with other squid. Find the
chromatophores and record their color(s).
17. Using the pins, mark the external features listed below on your squid.
Arm
Tentacle
Fin
Mantle
Chromatophore
Siphon
Sketch the external view of the squid labelling all of the parts that are underlined above in the steps above.
Before moving on the internal anatomy section you must have an instructors initials _____
Internal Anatomy
1. Procedure: Turn the squid ventral side up. Pull the mantle up with the scissors where the water jet is, it should be loose
and easy to pull up. Use scissors to cut from the water jet to the fins. Be sure and KEEP THE SCISSORS LIFTED so as not
to cut into the internal organs of the squid. Open the mantle to expose the structures inside and pin.
2. Find the esophagus, this is best found by looking into the mouth and seeing where it leads. The muscular mass that
surrounded the beak can be pulled up (and out) to show the tube that is the esophagus.
3. To find the stomach, follow the esophagus toward the posterior.
4. The anus empties into the water jet, use scissors to cut the water jet down the center so you can see the small opening
of the anus.
5. Locate the gills, these are feathery structures that may be hidden under other things, there are two of them.
6. Describe what the gills look like.
7. Follow the gills toward the interior to find an enlarged structure at their base: this is the gill heart.
8. All the way toward the fin is a whitish or yellowish structure: this is the gonad. The male gonad is generally white, the
female gonad is usually more yellow to clear. Is your squid male or female? ____________________
9. Find the siphon. It looks like the open end of a balloon. This tube squirts out water so that the squid moves like a jet.
Open the siphon and measure the diameter of the siphon in centimeters.
10. Flip the squid around so the mantle and chromatophores are showing.
11. The hard shell-like structure that lies along the backside of the squid is the pen. See if you can remove the pen in one
piece. The pen serves to stabilize the squid while it swims (like our backbone).
12. This is the evolutionary remains of a shell. Cut out the pen.
Describe what the pen looks like.
13. Measure the pen and record its length in centimeters.
14. Find the ink sac, this is a small dark sac near the water jet. Remove the
ink sac and use your dissecting needle to break the pouch. Squeeze a bit
of the ink out and try and write your name in the box to the right by
dipping the pen into the ink sac.
15. How does the ink compare to the ink in your pen?
Use the internal anatomy descriptions to help you label the squid diagram below:
Post-Lab Questions (Answer on a separate piece of paper and attach when turning in):
1. What characteristics do molluscs share? What other organisms are in the same phylum? What makes squids
unique from other molluscs?
2. What organ systems and organs does a squid have that a human also has? Explain what organs and organ
systems and how they are similar and different.

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Name: _____________________________________ Date:_ Period: _ #:___

Squid Dissection Lab

6. Are they found on both tentacles? Describe.

13. Measure the pen and record its length in centimeters.

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