Dissections are a traditional component of most advanced biology courses beginning at the high school level. Dissections provide a way for students to learn about the internal and external anatomical structures of animals. By taking a hands-on learning approach, students can get a real sense of the relationships between organismal structures.
For many students however, dissections can be very disturbing. Online dissections provide an opportunity to experience animal dissections in a unique manner without all of the mess. Some online dissections provide visual images along with step-by-step instructions on how to dissect a particular animal. Others provide diagrams and pictures that display certain anatomical structures.
The good news is that there are many amazing virtual dissections available for free online. From earthworms to human cadavers, the web has remarkable learning options available at the click of a mouse.
Note: These images are often understandably graphic and may be upsetting to some kids. You may want to preview these sites to see which ones are best suited for your children.
Online Dissection Links
Mammals
- Frog
- Fetal Pig
- Virtual Pig Dissection (Whitman College)
- 3dToad Cat Dissection
- Cat Muscular System (Penn State)
- Rat Dissection (University of Manitoba)
- Cow Eye
- Sheep Dissection (Exploratorium)
- Sheep Brain
- Sheep Heart
Birds
Fish
Invertebrates
- Earthworm
- Worm Anatomy (University of Illinois)
- Sea Star Lab (Kansas State University)
- Grasshopper Dissection
- Clam Lab (University of Buffalo)
- Squid Lab (University of Buffalo)
- Squid Dissection (The Biology Corner)
- Internal Anatomy of the Crayfish