Chicken Wing Dissection Lab

 1.  Put on gloves.  Thoroughly rinse and dry chicken leg or wing.  Place it on a plate or tray.

 2.  Examine the outside skin tissue.  Record at least 4 observations of the chicken skin. 
      The skin was bumpy, with a pinkish/white coloring.  It was pretty thick and very loose.

 3.  Using scissors, knife, and tweezers, work slowly and carefully to cut the skin and peel it away  
      from the muscle below.  Notice the clear connective tissue that holds the skin to the muscles.  
      The probe may be the most effective tool.  As you peel off the skin, you may need to cut away  
      some of the connective tissue.

 4.  Record at least 4 observations of connective tissue.
      The connective tissue was clear, stretchy, very thin and very shiny.  It also adhered to the skin very
      well.

 5.  

 6.  What specific type of connective tissue is this?

      This is loose connective tissue.

 7.  Observe the yellowish clumps of fat tissue found outside the skin.  Record at least 2 

      observations of the fat.

      Fat was clumped together in little tiny pockets and was surrounded by loose connective tissue

      as well.

 8.  What is the biological term for the type of cells that store fat.

      Adipocytes

 9.  Name at least 2 functions of this fat.

      Fat protects and insulates.

10. Observe bundles of muscle tissue surrounding bones.  Separate the bundles of muscle by

      separating them out with your fingers.  Begin by inserting your thumb into the muscle by

      pushing though the connective tissue covering the muscle.  It will give way at the natural 

      separations between the muscle bundles.

11. Viewing through a magnifying too, if you have one, (but still do if you don't) describe 2

      characteristics of the arrangement of the muscle bundles as you see them here.

      All of the muscle fibers are going in the same direction and all the fibers were stacked in a layered

      fashion.

12. Using your textbook or another reference, sketch a representation of the muscles starting 

      with the muscle cell and ending with the whole muscle. Cite your source!

      

      Johnson, Michael D. (2014).  Human Biology Concepts and Current Issues (7th edition).  

                      Glenview, Il:  Pearson Education, Inc.

13. What type of muscle tissue are you viewing?

      Skeletal muscle tissue.

14. Name the function of this type of muscle tissue.

      The functions of skeletal tissue is movement.

15. Name 2 characteristics of the muscle tissue.

      Muscle tissue has long fibers and they are multi-nucleic.

16. Nerves are thin, threadlike, white strands found between the muscle and the nearest bone.

      Remove a single muscle by cutting the tendons and peeling the muscle away from the bone.

      Look for the nerve in your specimen.  The texture is much different from a tendon or bone.

      It is rather slippery.  Did you find one?

      Yes.

17.

Nerve (should be) on the far right side of the bone.

18. The strong, shiny, white cords of tendons hold the muscle to the bones.  Some of these 

      tendons pull away from the bone as you separated the muscle bundles.  Observe with a

      magnifying tool, if you have one, describe, and sketch.

      a.  The attachment of tendon to muscle.

      b.  The attachment of tendon to bone.

19.  

My sad little drawing. : ) Artist, I am not.

Tendon attached to muscle

20. Cut across the tendons at the elbow and peel back toward the carpal joint as if you were 

      peeling back a banana.  Observe the numerous tendons and pull the freed muscle down and

      away from the bone.  Don't cut any ligaments that attach bone to bone.

21. 

Ligament

22. Look closely at the ligaments with a magnifying tool.  Describe 2 differences in appearance 

      between tendons and ligaments.

      Ligaments are much stronger and harder than tendons and the attachment to the bone seems much

      stronger.

23. What type of connective tissue composes the ligaments?

      Ligaments are fibrous connective tissue.

24. Remove all remaining muscle to expose the bones of the chicken leg.

25. 

26. Bend the elbow.  Refer to pages 113-115 in your textbook and answer these questions.

      a.  What type of joint is this.

           This is a hinge joint.

      b.  What type of movement is being demonstrated?

           The bones can only move one way - open and closed.

27. Cut into the elbow joint and separate the ulna and radius from the metacarpals.  Observe

      the shiny white layer covering the ends of the bones.  Name this covering according to its

      primary tissue and specific type.

      The covering is a synovial membrane.

28. Describe the texture of the ends of the bones at the joint.

      The texture was extremely smooth.

29. Name three functions of bone.

      Three functions of bone are for strength, structure and protection.

30. If you could see inside the bone.  What soft material would you find?  Do not break the raw 

      chicken bone.  There is danger from bone fragments flying out.

      You would find bone marrow.

31. Name three specific types of cells present here.

      Stem cells, osteoblasts and osteocytes.

32. Explore and examine other parts.

33. Dispose of materials.  Using warm water and soap thoroughly wash all tools and materials,

      including your hands and the surface you worked upon.