Civic Lab · Natural Sciences · Specimen Series

Visual Lab Pack

Four illustrated specimen plates that replace the old text-only labs — labeled, keyed, and built to print or project.

Labeled frog dissection plate, ventral view A dissected frog from below with heart, lungs, liver, stomach, small intestine, forelimb and webbed hindlimb labeled. Plate 1 — Frog, ventral dissection NSCI 110 · LAB 11 1Heart — three-chambered 2Lungs (paired) 3Liver — largest organ 4Stomach 5Small intestine (coiled) 6 7 Key: 6 = forelimb (4 digits) · 7 = hindlimb, webbed foot (5 digits) Webbed feet are built for swimming — propulsion in water. Trace the path of food: mouth → stomach → small intestine.

Observe & record

  1. Sketch the heart. Why does a three-chambered heart mix some blood?
  2. The liver is the largest organ — propose one reason it needs to be so big.
  3. Compare the forelimb and hindlimb. What does each shape say about how a frog moves?
Labeled human heart plate, anterior view The human heart showing four chambers and great vessels, colored red for oxygen-rich and blue for oxygen-poor blood. Plate 2 — Human heart, anterior view MED 110 · LAB 1 1Aorta → to body 2Pulmonary artery → 3Superiorvena cava 4Right atrium 5Right ventricle 6Left atrium 7Left ventricle oxygen-poor blood (right side) oxygen-rich blood (left side) Flow: body → 3 → 4 → 5 → 2 → lungs → 6 → 7 → 1 → body.

Observe & record

  1. Follow one drop of blood through all four chambers, in order. Write the path.
  2. The left ventricle wall is thicker than the right. Why?
  3. What would happen if the septum did not fully separate the two sides?
Labeled cat anatomy plate, side view A cat in side profile with skeleton outline and internal organs labeled. Plate 3 — Cat, anatomical overview MED 110 · LAB 3 1Skull 2Spine 3Heart 4Lungs 5Liver 6Stomach 7Intestines 8Pelvis (hip)

Observe & record

  1. A cat has a four-chambered heart; a frog has three. What does four give a warm-blooded animal?
  2. Find three organs the cat shares with the frog. What does that suggest about shared ancestry?
  3. Trace the spine from skull to pelvis. How does a flexible spine help a hunting cat?
Labeled animal cell plate as seen under a microscope An animal cell showing membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus with nucleolus, mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, ribosomes, lysosome and vacuole, labeled. Plate 4 — Animal cell (microscope view) NSCI 110 · LAB 9 1Nucleus (control center) 2Nucleolus 3Mitochondria 4Rough ER + ribosomes 5Smooth ER 6Golgi apparatus 7Vacuole 8Lysosome 9Ribosomes 10Cell membrane

Observe & record

  1. Mitochondria are the powerhouse. Tie that to the cell's need for energy.
  2. This is an animal cell. Name two parts a plant cell would have that this one lacks.
  3. Pick any organelle and write one sentence on what fails if it stops working.