How to Use Fresh Clams for Dissection
Clams are a type of bivalve mollusk, and they are an ideal subject for dissection by young students who are interested in the structure of invertebrates. A clam dissection is a simple one to accomplish, and it provides students with valuable insight into into the internal workings of a mollusk as well as how to conduct a dissection.
Things You'll Need
- Fresh clams
- Gloves
- Safety goggles
- Lab apron
- Dissection pan
- Screwdriver
- Knife
- Probe
Instructions
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1
Purchase the clams the day of the dissection. Fresh clams are available from the fish counter at the grocery store, and the fresher they are, the better.
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2
Put on lab safety equipment, including gloves, safety goggles and a lab apron.
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3
Place the clam in the dissection pan. In this case, the dissection pan can be a pan used for cooking, but other dissection projects, which use prepared specimens, require pans that are dedicated to the purpose.
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4
Examine the exterior of the clam. You may wish to ask the student to draw a picture of the clam as it is. Think about what purpose the thick shell serves.
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5
Lay the clam flat on the dissection tray.
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6
Work the tip of the screwdriver between the two halves of the clam shell, turning it as you go to pry the open clam open.
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7
Locate the adductor muscles that hold the two halves of the shell together. The adductor muscles are thick and connect the top portion of the clam to the lower portion.
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8
Cut the adductor muscles with a sharp knife.
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9
Open the clam up, laying the two halves of the shell flat.
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10
Examine the internal structures of the clam, using the probe to move the structures around for better viewing. Use a clam image (see Resources) to guide your examination.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit CLAMS image by brelsbil from Fotolia.com
