Spiny Dogfish Dissection in Zoology

We finally got around to the dogfish dissection today in Zoology class.  Students seemed less than impressed, but I love sharks.  I don't use gloves because I like to feel the placoid scales that feel like sand paper. Our specimen is about .25 m in length and is a male.  Male sharks have claspers as part of the pelvic fins.

Sharks all have large livers that help them control their buoyancy.  The second most prominent organ is the stomach.  Tomorrow we will open the stomach and see what our specimen last ate.