Seamobile: Squid Dissection
Grades 6-8, Time Allotted 60 minutes
Theme: Dissection of squid help students better understand the functions of the squid’s internal and
external organs.
Goals
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Students will learn the importance of dissection, and how dissecting organisms give scientists a
better understanding of an organism’s anatomy.
Students will learn how scientists describe and identify both the external and internal organs of
squid.
Students will learn that many of the advances in technology are first conceived by the study of
the natural world.
Materials
Squid
Dissection Pans
Dissection Kits –
Contains
Scissors,
Scalpels, Picks
and Forceps
Laminates of
external and
internal squid
organs
Goggles
Lab Coats
Gloves
Hand Sanitizer
Paper Towels
Flex Cam
10
10
10
10
20
20
20 pairs
1 bottle
2 rolls
1
Procedure
1.
Introduction/Student Engagement: Divide the students into pairs. If there is an odd amount of
students, one group can be a group of three, or one student can opt to work on their own
without a partner. Once the students are seated at their desks, begin by describing what
dissection entails and the function of each tool on their desk. Emphasize that safety is always
the highest concern and that the students are not to touch anything until they are told to do so.
Once the students are familiar with the rules of dissection, segue into a discussion about squid
by asking the students to tell you what they know about squid. Be sure to cover that squid are
mollusks, can camouflage, move by jet propulsion, have arms and tentacles, are highly
intelligent, have highly developed eyes and can be various sizes.
2. Dissection: Pass out one squid to each pair of students. Using their laminate (make sure they are
using the side that has the external organs), have the students identify and describe the function
of each of the external organs listed. If you want, you can draw a squid on the white board and
have students draw lines to a particular organ that you name, and describe the function of that
organ. Make sure the students spread out and count the amount of arms and tentacles a squid
has. When they are done, have them turn the laminate to the side that shows the internal
organs. Have all the students first put on their lab coats, then their goggles and finally their
gloves. Before the students begin their dissection demonstrate to them how it is done by
dissecting a squid under the flex camera. Using scissors cut open the mantle of the squid from
the base of the pen all the way up to the fins. Be sure to show the students to lift the scissors up
so that they do not cut through the internal organs. Once the cut is made, use the forceps to
spread open the sides of the mantle so that the students can see inside the squid. Sometimes an
intact pen will come out quite easily, other times it will be difficult to remove the pen. Leave the
removal of the pen up to the students. Once you have demonstrated the dissection to the
students, have them open up their dissection kits and remove only their scissors and forceps.
They can then begin to dissect their squid. Once their squid are open walk around and ask each
pair to identify and describe a few of the internal organs. After this initial talk with each group it
is OK if they start to remove and dissect the individual organs. You can allow them to use their
scalpels once you reinforce the issue of safety.
3. Conclusion: Discuss the importance of dissection and how it enables scientists to better
understand how different organisms function. Begin to clean the work area by having the
students put away their tools and dispose of their squid in the trash. Make sure the students use
paper towels to wipe out their dissection pans. Once everything is clean, have the students
remove their gloves and dispose of them in the trash, and then remove their lab coats and
goggles. Students must wash and sanitize their hands before leaving the classroom.
Vocabulary (source: Oxford Dictionary)
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Arm - the eight long protrusions extending from the mantle, covered with suction cups, that the
squid uses to transport food to the mouth
Beak - the mouth of a squid – resembles the beak of a bird
Cecum - the pouch that marks the beginning of the large intestine
Chromatophores - a cell containing pigment that through contraction and expansion produces a
temporary difference in color
Dissection - to cut open and examine the structure of a dead animal or plant
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Fin - a membranous, wing-like or paddle-like organ attached to any of various parts of the body
of fishes and certain other aquatic animals, used for propulsion, steering, or balancing
Forceps - an instrument, as pincers or tongs, for seizing and holding objects, as in surgical
operations
Gills - the respiratory organ of aquatic animals, as in squid, that breathe oxygen dissolved in
water
Ink Sac - a large gland in most cephalopods, as in the cuttlefish, octopus, and squid, that is near
the rectum and ejects ink at predators
Mantle - a single or paired outgrowth of the body wall that lines the inner surface of the valves
of the shell in mollusks and brachiopods
Nidamental Gland - a female reproductive organ that provides a protective coating for the eggs
Pen - an internal, corneous or chitinous, feather-shaped structure in certain cephalopods, as the
squid – the remains of the squid’s shell
Picks - any pointed or other tool or instrument for picking
Scalpel - a small, light, usually straight knife used in surgical and anatomical operations and
dissections
Siphon - a projecting tubular part of some animals, especially found in certain mollusks, through
which liquid enters or leaves the body
Squid - any of several eight-armed cephalopods, as of the genera Loligo and Ommastrephes,
having a slender body and a pair of rounded or triangular caudal fins and varying in length from
4–6 in. (10–15 cm) to 60–80 ft. (18–24 m)
Suction Cups - sticky protrusions on both the arms and tentacles that help the squid hold onto
food
Tentacle - any of various slender, flexible processes or appendages in animals, especially
invertebrates, that serve as organs of touch or prehension
Additional Information
Process Skills Acquired
Observing, Communicating, Analyzing, Classifying, Comparing.