BIOLOGY LABORATORY MANUAL

SB025 Lab Manual

14. Observe the organ systems in mammal; Digestive System, Circulatory
System, Respiratory System and Urogenital System.

Figure 12.12 Digestive System

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Figure 12.13 Circulatory System.

Figure 12.14 Respiratory System

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Figure 12.15 Urogenital System (Male)

Figure 12.16 Urogenital System (Female)

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12.2 Nervous system
1. Hold the mice with the dorsal side facing you. Cut a small slit in the skin

between the pinnae (ear). Continue to slit right down the snout. Slit
down to the level of the fore limb as shown in Figure 12.17.
(Note: Pinnae is the visible part of the outer ear, present in some
mammals).

Figure 12.17 Slit down the skin between pinnae
2. Pull aside the skin using the thumb and forefinger (Figure 12.18).

Observe the brain which can be seen through the skull.

Figure 12.18: Observing brain through the skull

3. Grip the head of the mice with the thumb and forefinger and support the
chin with the first finger of the left hand. The free part of the skin helps
to give a good grip. Hold the scalpel at the same level with the back of
the skull and pierce through the interparietal bone.
(Note: It is very important to maintain the scalpel at a horizontal
position. Any tilting will either cause piercing of the brain or failure to
perforate the skull)

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4. Observe the exposed part of the cerebellum (Figure 12.19) with a

scalpel, chip away the roof of the skull in the marked area, as in Figure
12.20.

Figure 12.19: Observing the exposed part of the cerebellum

Figure 12.20: Chipping the roof of the skull

5. Scrape aside the attached muscles to expose the posterior part of the
skull (Figure 12.21).

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Figure 12.21: Exposing the posterior part of the skull

6. Chip away the bone until the olfactory lobes, cerebral hemispheres and
the main part of the cerebellum are exposed. Remove the dorsal parts of
the atlas and axis vertebrae to expose the first part of the spinal cord
(Figure 12.22).

Figure 12.22: Exposing the first part of the spinal cord

7. Cut under the olfactory lobes and through the spinal cord. Cut under the
skull and the posterior cranial nerve as shown in Figure 12.23. Proceed
until the facial nerve is being cut.

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Figure 12.23: Cutting under the skull and the posterior cranial nerve
8. Change the grip and the position of the scalpel. Move the posterior part

of the base of the skull upwards to break the suture between occipital
and the basisphenoid bones and between the periotic and tympanic bulla.
Observe the large trigeminal nerves. Cut these nerves as close as
possible to the foramina through which they leave the skull (Figure
12.24).

Figure 12.24: Cut these nerves as close as possible to the foramina

9. Cut the optic nerves. Remove the brain from the head. Grip the piece of
the base of the skull and cut through the occipital bone at the mid ventral
line (Figure 12.25).

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Figure 12.25: Cutting through the occipital bone at the mid ventral line

10. Grip the occipital bone with forceps. Remove it bit by bit from the
auditory region.
(Note: Try not to touch or grip the nervous tissues with the forceps. Be
careful not to damage the paraflocculus which is almost entirely
surrounded by the bone) (Figure 12.26).

Figure 12.26: Mice brain

11. Support the brain on the dissecting tray or hold with the fingers but not
with the instruments. Observe the dorsal and ventral of the brain.

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Figure 12.27 Step by step to remove brain from the mice skull

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Figure 12.28 Nervous System
Questions:
1. What is the largest organ in the mice anatomy and where it is located?
2. What is the organ that responsible for maintaining homeostasis? Why?
3. Outline the flow of blood in the mammalian circulatory system.
4. Heart is myogenic. What is meant by myogenic?
5. Why we cannot use sharp instruments while observing internal organs?
6. What are the functions of dissecting pins used in the experiment?

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REFERENCES
Campbell, N. A., Reece, J. B., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wassermen, S. A.,

Minorsky, P. V. & Jackson, R. B. (2018). Biology. (11th Ed.). Pearson
Benjamin Cummings. USA.
Lawrence, E. (2016). Henderson’s Dictionary of Biological Terms (16th Ed.),
Prentice Hall.
Solomon, E. P., Berg, L. R. & Martin, D. W. (2018). Biology. (11th Ed.).
Nelson Education, Ltd, Canada.
Morgan J. G & Carter M. E. B & Stout (2015). Investigating Biology:
Laboratory Manual (8th Edition), Pearson Education Limited.
www.bio.miami.edu
www.crochetspot.com
www.k-state.edu
www.math.arizona.edu
www.news.makemeheal.com
www.pc.maricopa.edu
www.quia.com
www.sci.waikato.ac.nz
www.sfsu.edu
www.sharewhy.com
www.sols.unlv.edu
www.stolaf.edu
www.users.rowan.edu
www.vcbio.science.ru.nl
www.wikispace.psu.edu

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Matriculation Division, Ministry of Education Malaysia wish to thank
everyone who has contributed in shaping and writing this BIOLOGY
LABORATORY MANUAL (13th Edition) for the Two Semesters
Matriculation Programme. Special thanks go to those for their many valuable
suggestions and conscientiousness in completing this manual.

Dr. Hajah Rosnarizah binti Abdul Halim
Director of Matriculation Division

Haji Mohd. Yusof bin Samad
Deputy Director of Matriculation Division (Academic)

Mohd Junaidi bin Abd Aziz
Senior Principal Assistant Director

Ruslan bin Achok
Assistant Director
Reviewers for the 13th Edition
● Prof. Ts. Dr. Shahrul Hisham bin Zainal Ariffin, UKM
● Prof Madya. Dr. Yahya bin Mat Arip, USM
● Michelle Mariam binti Abu Bakar, KMM
● Aminawati binti Mohamad, KMS
● Norsyuhaiza binti Nordin, KMPP
● Noor Zurina binti Kassim, KMPk
● Mohd Azaman bin Abdullah, KMK
● Noraman bin Mohd Nor, KMKt
● Majdiyah binti Omar @ Wahab, KMARAKm
Cover designed by Syed Nassir bin Syed Ahmad, KML

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SB015 & SB025