How to Dissect a Grasshopper

Many junior high and high school students dissect grasshoppers in their biology classes. It's the best way for them to learn about the internal anatomy of the insect.

Instructions

1. Lay the grasshopper in the dissection pan. Wear gloves and keep your hands away from your eyes and mouth during the dissection.

2. Determine the sex of your grasshopper before you dissect it. The hind end of the male grasshopper is blunt. The female's hind end is pointed so that she can lay eggs.

3. Lay your grasshopper with his dorsal side facing up. Slice along the top of the thorax and abdomen. Set aside the exoskeleton of the grasshopper. Don't cut too deeply or you will damage the internal organs.

4. Observe the digestive system of the grasshopper. It occupies a majority of the grasshopper's internal cavity.

5. Locate the reproductive organs of the grasshopper. The male grasshopper has 2 testes that are positioned above the intestine and made up of thin tubules and follicles.

6. Remove the head of the grasshopper. Find the cheek, frons and vertex. Locate the depression between the frons and look for the simple eye also known as an ocellus.

7. Count the antennal segments. Count the segments of the filamentous structures called labial and maxillary palpi next to the grasshopper's mouth.