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Shrimp Dissection Student Current
Shrimp Dissection Student Current
Name: Date:
Procedure: This lab has two components that can be done in any order. It is recommended that
students complete the Prawn Dissection first to ensure that they do not run out of
time.
1. Examine the various Arthropods on display around the classroom. Provide at least 4 characteristics
common to all of them. (2 Marks)
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2. In the chart below provide the common name, Arthropoda class (use your text) and one adaptation of a
common Arthropod characteristic for three of the Arthropods on display. An example has been provided.
(0.5 Marks Per Box)
Thickening of forelimb
Mantis Shrimp Crustacea exoskeleton used to break
through mollusk shells
-Shrimp are crustaceans belonging to the Order Decapoda. They are typically found in warm, tropical
waters, although some species do live in cold water (even in the Arctic!). Shrimp are omnivorous and are
themselves important prey species for other animals (such as humans).
-The shrimp body is divided into two main parts: a) Cephalothorax, a segment including the head and
thorax. This area is covered by one continuous section of exoskeleton that ends as a rostrum at the
anterior end of the shrimp; b) Abdomen, lower portion of the shrimp containing the pleopods
(swimmerets) and tail.
-Shrimp have separate sexes and fertilization is external. Fertilization occurs as up to 4,000 eggs leave
the female’s body, which then attach to the hairs of her pleopods and are carried for up to four months.
Directions: Follow the instructions below and complete the questions provided using your
observations, class notes and textbook.
1. The rostrum shape is unique to each species of shrimp. Draw the shape of your shrimp’s rostrum in the
space below. (1 Mark)
Notes:
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2. a) Shrimp have stalked eyes. Why would this be considered an advantage? (1 Mark)
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b) Carefully remove one of your shrimp’s eyes and examine it under a dissecting microscope.
-Is the eye a single structure (like the squid’s) or is it made up of units? (1Mark) ____________________
-Each of these units are called an ommatidium and they collectively make up the compound eye of
Arthropods.
3. Examine the appendages found on the Cephalothorax. In Arthropods, appendages have been
specialized to perform different tasks. Name at least three tasks performed by the legs on the
Cephalothorax. (3 Marks)
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4. Examine the appendages found on the Abdomen called the pleopods or “swimmerets”. What are two
of their functions? (2 Marks)
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2. Carefully insert the point of the scissors under the top of the carapace (shell) at the back of the
cephalothorax and cut up the middle to the rostrum.
3. Cut across the carapace just back behind the eyes and remove the two pieces of the carapace.
4. Note the exposed gills. (Feathery like structures just under the carapace you just remove)
5. Remove the exposed gills and legs attached to the thorax. Carefully separate the dorsal layer of muscles
in the thorax and note the light colored heart just underneath.
6. Remove the heart. The two light colored masses extending on each side of the body into the head are
the digestive glands. (The heart is located just posterior to these.)
7. Between the digestive glands, you will find the small pair of white reproductive organs in the male
animal. If your specimen is female, you will probably see a large mass of dark colored eggs.
8. To locate the intestine, insert the point of the scissors under the dorsal side of the shell of the abdomen
and cut back to the telson. Spread the shell, and the intestine will be found as a tube on the tops side of the
muscles of the abdomen.
9. Trace it forward to the point where the intestine joins the large, thin walled stomach in the front part of
the cephalothorax.
10. Now, remove all the organs in the thorax by cutting the short esophagus below the stomach and the
bands of muscle holding the stomach just back of the eyes. You should be able to lift out most of the
internal organs in one piece.
11. Clean out the remaining tissue in the head so that the green glands (kidneys) are exposed.
12. In the front part of the head cavity, between the eyes, not the small mass of white tissue, the brain.
13. Trace the nerves that go from the brain to the antennae and eyes.
14. Cut the hard tissue on the floor of the thorax with your scalpel so that you can follow the ventral
nerve cord back from the brain to the abdomen.
15. Spread the shell of the abdomen apart and pull out the large muscle. (This is the part of the body eaten
in shrimp and lobsters)
16. Note the nerve cord that is now exposed on the floor of the abdomen. The enlargements of the nerve
cord in each segment of the abdomen are the ganglia.
1. Research the ecology of shrimp. What roles do they play in their environments? (2 Marks)
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