SCHOOL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, AQUATIC SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

SEMESTER I 2021/2022

ANIMAL ANATOMY

ASH 22203

Practical/Topic Rabbit Dissection

Name 1. Wan Muhammad Aiman bin Wan Zaki (061030)

GROUP 1 2. Nurul Amirah binti Romanah (059020)

3. Anis Hannani binti M Rafizi (060707)

4. Nur Mukhliliana binti Mukhnizan (059816)

5. Siti Masturah binti Mangsor (059256)

6. Norasyikin binti Zulkifli (059816)

7. Nur Zahirah binti Zulkifli (059803)

Date of Submission 23 January 2022

Lecturer’s Name Dr Mohd Faizal bin Ghazali

INTRODUCTION

Rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas are all classified as hindgut fermenters, with
nutrient composition primarily determined by cecal microflora. The sacculus rotundus
and the vermiform appendix are two of the rabbit's unique anatomical features.
Gastrointestinal disorders in these animals can be difficult for clinicians to treat because
not only must the hindgut motility be maintained, but so must the microflora. Dysbiosis,
or changes in microflora, can cause toxins to be released and further alter pH,
microflora, and motility. Most gastrointestinal diseases are accompanied by
gastrointestinal pain and hydration status, which the clinician must be aware of.

The Rabbit's Digestive System Although dental health and a thorough

examination of the teeth should always be included in the physical examination of a
rabbit with suspected digestive system disease, the focus of this discussion will be on
the gastrointestinal system. Nutrition is critical to the functioning of the rabbit digestive
system and will be discussed in relation to gastrointestinal anatomy, physiology, and
major disease syndromes. Rabbits are true herbivores, not ruminants. Their digestive
reservoir enables and improves the utilization of fibrous diets. In comparison to other
non-ruminant herbivores such as horses, they have a large stomach and a well-
developed cecum.

OBJECTIVES

1. To study the internal anatomy of the representative of the class Mammalia.

2. Locate and identify the different structures that are a part of the digestive system.

MATERIALS

1. A preserved rabbit
2. Dissecting tray
3. Pair of scissors
4. Scalpel
5. Pair of tweezers
6. Lab apron
7. Gloves
8. Papel towels
METHODS

➢ ADULT RABBIT.

1. Placed the rabbit in the dissecting table, ventral side up. Be sure that the specimen is
held firmly before beginning dissecting.
2. Found the lowered edge of the sternum (breastbone) and made an incision through the
skin from that pointed to the pelvis. This would expose the layers of the abdominal
muscles. Stripped the skin well backed to the sides and examine the muscle layer
3. Used the scissors or the scalpel, made another incision through the muscle layer. This
would expose a thin membrane, the peritoneum, which lines the abdominal cavity.
4. Cut through the peritoneum to expose the abdominal organs. Opened the abdominal
cavity wide by making several lateral cuts and pulling the skin and muscle layer well to
the side.
5. Locate the diaphragm, which divides the abdominal cavity from the thoracic or chest
cavity.
6. Use your scissors, cut through the ribs along the left and right side of the breastbone to
the neck. Continued the incision to the larynx which you detect as a hard oval lump just
below the throat.
7. The incision in the throat should be deep enough to expose the trachea. Then, you will
see most of the organs you would have studied were now exposed.

8. Loosen the liver from the diaphragm and cut the gullet, passing through the diaphragm
just above the stomach. Grasp the liver and pull downward gently.
9. Used your scissors, cut the membranes which fasten the digestive organs along the
back. Continued pulling and cutting the membranes, used care not to cut the large
vessels running along the back or to damage the kidneys and ureters.
10. Followed the lowered end of the large intestine and cut it just above the anal opening.
You should now be able to lift out the digestive organs and spleen in one piece.
Removed the liver and spleen.
11. Discard the digestive organs and examine the kidneys. Cut under each kidney and
remove it along with the ureter tube. Cut a kidney laterally and examine its internal
structure.Discard the kidneys

12. Cut around the larynx located high in the neck and with your fingers, raise it. Use your
scalpel, cut along the trachea, lifting it as you cut.
13. You should be able to lift the heart and the lungs from your specimen. Cut the large
blood vessels.
14. Found the aorta, which passed between the lungs on the backed side of the heart. Cut
the aorta loose. The other tube was the gullet. Traced it to the upper side of the larynx
and removed it.
15. Removed the heart from the lungs by cutting the pulmonary arteries and veins. If the
heart was sufficiently large, you should find the vena cava and the pulmonary veins
leading to the atria and the aorta and the pulmonary artery leading from the ventricles.
16. The dissection of the brain was difficult and tedious work. Turn the animal so that the
dorsal side was up. To expose the brain, remove the skin from the entire skull.
17. The simplest method to expose the brain with the instruments you had was to cut
through the skull near the center, using extreme care not to break the brain membranes.

18. After the skull was opened, used the handle of the scalpel to chip away the pieces. Did
not use the blade of the scalpel for chipping. When chipping, hold the scalpel by the
side of the handle, not by the blade. If bone cutters or heavy forceps were available, use
them in preference to the scalpel handle for chipping.
19. When the brain was completely exposed, you should find the two large cerebral
hemispheres and the cerebellum posterior to the cerebrum. Unless the brain was
removed, you would not find the medulla, although the spinal cord could be found below
the brain.

➢ SMALLER RABBIT (FETUS)

1. Took the fetus rabbit out of the formalin solution.

2. Placed the rabbit in the dissecting tray.

3. Lies the rabbit on the dorsal side. Started by cutted vertically along the ventral side ( be
careful as the skin is thin).
4. To reveal the abdominal organs, cut through the peritoneum. By making many lateral
cuts and drawing the skin and muscle layer well to the side, the abdominal cavity was
opened wide.
5. The diaphragm, which separates the abdominal cavity from the thoracic or chest cavity,
can be found here.
6. Cut through the ribs on the left and right sides of the breastbone to the neck using your
scissors. The incision was continued to the larynx, which is visible as a hard oval bump
right below the throat. The trachea should be exposed by making a deep incision in the
throat.
7. The dissection of the brain was difficult and tedious work. Turn the animal so that the
dorsal side was up. To expose the brain, remove the skin from the entire skull.

8. The simplest method to expose the brain with the instruments you had was to cut
through the skull near the center, using extreme care not to break the brain membranes.
9. After the skull was opened, used the handle of the scalpel to chip away the pieces. Did
not use the blade of the scalpel for chipping. When chipping, hold the scalpel by the side
 of the handle, not by the blade. If bone cutters or heavy forceps were available, use
them in preference to the scalpel handle for chipping.

10. When the brain was completely exposed, you should find the two large cerebral
hemispheres and the cerebellum posterior to the cerebrum. Unless the brain was
removed, you would not find the medulla, although the spinal cord could be found below
the brain.
RESULTS

ADULT RABBITS

➢ Before Dissection

● Head (Lateral view)

Ear
Pinna
Eye

Nares

Vibrissae

Mouth

● Body (Lateral view)

Back Shoulder Ears

Tail Head

Hock Eye

Hind Leg Nose

Mouth

Toe Belly Foreleg Foot Chest

➢ After dissection
 ● Skeletal system (Dorsal view)

Ribs

Spinal cord

Epididymus

Semi Vesicle

Testis

Anus

● Internal organs (Dorsal view)

 Heart

Xiphoid
Cartilage
Liver(Right
Anterior Lobe)

Liver (Left Anterior

Stomach Lobe)

Small
Duodenum Intestine

Large
Intestine
 Heart
Esophagus

Lungs
Trachea

Liver
Gall Bladder

Spleen
Stomach

Ileum
Duodenum

Kidney Caecum

Ampulla Cila
Proximal Colon

Appendix
● Heart (Ventral view)

Aorta

Left Atrium

Right Atrium

Left Ventricle

Right Ventricle

● Kidney (Dorsal view)

Renal Medulla

Cortex

Renal Papilla

Renal Pelvis

● Skull (Posterior view)

 Nasal

Tongue
Incisors

● Brain (Dorsal View)

● SMALLER RABBITS

Parietal
Occipital Lobe
Lobe

Corpus Cerebral
Callosum Hemisphere

Medial Ruptured
Longitudinal Frontal Lobe Brain
Fissure of Cerebral
Hemisphere

Sagittal
Fissure
➢ Before dissection

Ribs

Anus

➢ After dissection
● Internal Organs (Ventral view)

Trachea Esophagus

Lungs
Heart

Liver

Stomach

Small intestine

Large intestine

Penis

Rectum

● Brain (Dorsal view)

 Olfactory bulb

Sagittal
fissure

Right Cerebral
Hemisphere

Left Cerebral
Hemisphere

Cerebellum

Medulla
Cerebral Vermis oblongata
DISCUSSION

Based on this experiment, we are able to identify rabbit body cavities. The
diaphragm is a thin sheet of muscle that separates two body cavities. Smaller rabbits
can be preserved by simply opening their body cavities and immersing them in a
formalin or alcohol solution. The formalin serves as a preservative while also providing
firmness to the muscles.

The liver is located anterior to the abdominal cavity and produces amino acids
as well as filters the blood. The gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver. The spleen
is a part of the lymphatic system that filters blood. The pancreas is a granular mass
located within the mesentery of the small intestine. The cecum is a large, blind sac that
extends from the sacculus rotundus (small intestine).

We must first open the thoracic cavity in order to see the respiratory and
cardiovascular systems. The larynx can be seen, which is a cartilaginous structure
that protects the entrance to the trachea and is important in vocalization. The trachea is
a long tube surrounded by cartilage bands that provide support and prevent collapse,
and it is followed by the esophagus, lungs, and heart, all of which are enclosed in the
pericardium.

The circulatory system transports dissolved gasses, nutrients, hormones,

defensive cells, and cellular wastes throughout the body. The circulatory system is
divided into two parts: pulmonary and systemic. Deoxygenated blood is pumped from
the right side of the heart to the lungs in pulmonary circulation, while oxygenated blood
flows back to the left side of the heart. In systemic circulation, oxygenated blood is
pumped throughout the body from the left side of the heart, while deoxygenated blood
returns to the right side of the heart.

The urinary and reproductive systems share some components in the

urogenital system. The urinary system excretes nitrogenous wastes from the body as
urine and controls osmotic pressure. The kidneys filter waste from the bloodstream,
regulate the amount of water in the rabbit, and keep certain ion concentrations in check.

The labeled internal organs indicate that it was a male, as evidenced by the
presence of testes. The testes, two organs located in the scrotum, produce the hormone
testosterone as well as sperm (male gametes). To see the testes, open the scrotum,
which is located caudal to the penis. The testes are ovoid structures that are white and
marbled. Rabbit is known as an animal that has a smaller brain size than its body. As
you can see, the brain of the adult rabbit that has been dissected was ruptured due to
using too much force that causes the brain to rupture into the solution. So, we are
unable to identify the structure of the brain perfectly due to the burst but we are able to
identify the structures through its skull and smaller rabbits brain.

CONCLUSION
During our dissection, we found that our preserved rabbit is a male. This is because the
rabbit reproductive glands (testis) are found within the scrotal sacs. Besides, the muzzle
is not found in rabbits. The top lip is separated into two pieces and is meaty. A rabbit's
tongue is a muscular organ that is quite slender. There are no torus linguae and the tip
of the tongue is blunt. It has multiple taste buds and is connected to the hyoid apparatus
by muscle. Filiform, fungiform, vallate, and foliate papillae can be found. At the base of
the tongue, there is a broad white color prominence. We also found the heart of the
rabbit which is conical shaped and located at the mediastinal cavity.

We are also able to locate the liver, which occupies the upper right area in the body
cavity. The liver was raised with forceps and found the prominent gallbladder, and the
bile duct, which leads to the small intestine. The blood vessels which lead to the liver
from the lower side and to the heart from the upper region were noticed. The stomach
was very prominent, although it may have been partially hidden by a lobe of the liver.

Then, we found the gullet which passed through the diaphragm and entered the
stomach at its upper end. At the point where the lowered end of the stomach joins the
small intestine was a muscular valve, the pylorus. The pancreas was large in the
mammal and was located below the stomach. It appeared as a white, granular organ.
The small intestine was a coiled and twisted tube, many feet in length. It was held in
place by fan-like folds of the mesentery. The small intestine was raised at several points
and examined the mesentery. Noticed the many blood vessels along the surface of the
intestine through which the absorption of food took place.

The small intestine begins at the stomach and ends at the junction with the large
intestine. The large intestine appeared as a compact coil. We found the junction of the
large and small intestine. Below the junction was a large, blind end, the caecum. Traced
the large intestine from the caecum to the pointed where it leads to the anal opening.

REFERENCES
1. Carolina Biological Supply Company. (n.d.). Dissection of the rabbit. Retrieved
January 17, 2022, from
https://www.pearlandisd.org/cms/lib/TX01918186/Centricity/Domain/1385/
Carolina%20Rabbit%20Dissection%20Guide.pdf.
2. Chin, Edwin Jr.. (1957). The rabbit : an illustrated anatomical guide. University of
the Pacific, Thesis. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=2365&context=uop_etds
3. Rabbit dissection packet - bruinius' webpage. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17, 2022,
from
https://bruinius.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/7/3/20736430/rabbit_dissection_packet.
pdf
4. Rabbit Anatomy - Skeleton, Muscles and Internal Organs» AnatomyLearner >>

The Place to Learn Veterinary Anatomy Online. (2021, May 14). AnatomyLearner

>> the Place to Learn Veterinary Anatomy Online.

https://anatomylearner.com/rabbit-anatomy/#Rabbit_internal_anatomy_diagram