Online Dissections

Dissections provide a way for students to learn about the internal and external anatomical structures of animals. By taking a hands-on learning approach, students can get a real sense of the relationships between organismal structures.

For many students however, dissections can be very disturbing. Online dissections provide the means to experience actual dissections without all of the mess. Some online dissections provide visual images along with step-by-step instructions on how to dissect a particular animal. Other online dissections provide diagrams and pictures that display certain anatomical structures.

Best Online Dissections

There are a number of online dissections on the net. Here are some of my favorites:

Cockroach Dissection
Photographs of a cockroach dissection. Also contains information and pictures of cockroach parasites.

Cow's Eye Dissection
Step-by-step instructions, tips, and hints on how to do a dissection of a cow's eye.

Froguts
Participate in an online dissection of a Bull frog. Must have Macromedia Flash Player to view this demo.

The Interactive Frog Dissection Tutorial
The title says it all! Dissect a frog without smelling any formaldehyde.

Rat Dissection Guide
Covers rat muscular and digestive systems with images from an actual dissection.

Rat Dissection Guide II
Covers rat respiratory, circulatory, and urogenital systems with images from an actual dissection.

Sheep Brain Dissection
A step-by-step guide on how to dissect a brain. Learn about brain anatomy, structure, and function.

Virtual Cat Dissection
Learn about cat external anatomy, skeletal, muscular, respiratory systems and more.

Virtual Fetal Pig Dissection
View a simulated dissection of a fetal pig. You must have Shockwave plug-ins to view animations.

Virtual Mouse Necropsy
Instructional guide for the dissection of a mouse. Includes detailed diagrams.

More Online Dissections Information

For more information on online dissections see:

Virtual Frog Anatomy
Guide for identifying anatomical structures in the male and female frog. Images are labeled.

Virtual Frog Dissection Quiz
Think you know all there is to know about frog dissections? This quiz is designed to help you identify internal and external structures in the male and female frog.

University at Buffalo: Dissections Online
Contains a large collection of animal dissection information.

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