Comments

• Fernando

  If its your favorite, then it must be a shark, and im guessing thats the liver, and i think the oils in the liver help control the buoyancy. Also the teeth might come in handy when looking for food, and the skin must help the shark in some way.

  5/10/2009 5:38:12 PM
• Erica

  The organism is a shark, specifically a dogfish, Squalus acanthias. The organ pinned is the liver, but i don't know how it keeps it afloat. Sharks are streamlined and their heterocercal caudal fin is shaped so the water will flow around it and pull the shark up. Their lateral line system senses electrical impulses of prey and the two apertures of their nares (incurrent and excurrent) allow them to pinpoint the direction of a smell.

  5/10/2009 5:55:09 PM
• Matt

  Its a shark. The liver seems to take up most of the mass in the shark so, I imagine it is heavy so it help keeps the shark from floating. Something else it that the shark as is its lateral line, which since it has bad eyeseight helps find its pray.

  5/11/2009 10:17:36 AM
• Gage

  IT'S THE DOGFISH SHARK!!!!
  Best dissection that we did.
  That is one of the lobes of the liver that is pinned.
  The shark does not have a swim bladder, so it uses its huge liver to remain buoyant (unless it is the sand tiger shark, they swallow air in their stomachs). It has some oil in it that must be less dense than the water. In addition to the special senses that sharks have, they have a never-ending supply of teeth--perfect for their carnivorous appetite. They are also very hydrodynamic.

  5/13/2009 8:09:24 PM
• Amalia

  The animal shown is Squalas Acanthias, or Dogfish Shark. The organ pinned is the left liver lobe. The size of the organ helps the shark to be buoyant. It also secretes a type of oil.
  
  The shark's skin, which is made up of placoid scales, helps to streamline the shark for movement in a marine environment. Lateral lines help the shark feel movements in the water. Ampullae of Lorenzini help the shark to feel electric currents in the water, which helps it locate fish that are under the sand or are hiding in coral. It's heterocoercal tail, which is made up of a dorsal and ventral lobe, plus the longitudinal muscles (epaxial and hypaxial) help to propel the shark through the water.

  5/13/2009 10:11:36 PM
• Jennifer

  This organism is a shark. The pinned organ looks to be the liver. This is a large organ in the shark, full of oils and certain juices (which we discovered can take marks off walls!) oil is most commonly lighter than water, so this would help the shark stay afloat. Sharks have many rows of sharp teeth, which help them grab and eat their prey without struggle. Another characteristic that helps sharks is the skin that is very tightly attached to the muscles. This allows for swift movement and makes swimming easier.

  5/14/2009 1:59:37 PM
• Esther Ukpe

  This is a shark. The yellow pined organs is the left liver lobe of the shark. It is comprised of lots of oil. To me, the oil in the liver helps maintain the sharp's temperature, making it suitable for it environment. Besides the liver filters everything from the blood streams/vessels of the shark.

  5/14/2009 7:55:05 PM
• Ariel

  This is organism Shark, the yellow pin is pinned on the liver of the fish. Since the liver contains oils, it allows the shark to be more buoyant and float easier and swim smoother. Although the small two layers of teeth on the shark often fall off, it helps it grasps and destroy its pray. Also the skin of the shark is "double-sided", one direction is smooth and the other is a ruff sandpaper like surface. These are only some of the characteristics of a sharks,but they are literally built to be predators.

  5/14/2009 10:39:17 PM
• Max

  The organism is a shark, the phylum is chordata. The organ identified is the liver. I guess the long light structure of the liver helps it keep afloat. The streamlined nature of the shark as well as its several characteristics, including it's scales, help the shark be well-adapted in the water.

  5/18/2009 11:37:50 AM
• Zach Welz

  It is a shark or Squalus Arteriosus of the phylum chordata. The pin is in the liver lobe which uses its porous structure to keep it at the water level it desires. It can take in or release water to weigh the shark down or make it rise.

  5/19/2009 1:48:14 PM
• Josh E.

  The creature that has been dissected there is a dog fish, which is a kind of shark. The organ that is pinned there is the liver and i didnt know how the liver helped keep it bouyant untill i read the comments. The shark is basically the perfect ocean predator because of it's ability to sense and smell its prey even if it is in the sand. The shape of the scales of the shark help it slice through the water and the fact that it regrows all of the teeth that it loses means that it will always be able to consume prey.

  5/19/2009 5:45:20 PM
• Zach

  This organism is a shark. The yellow pin is in the stuck in the liver I think. It helps it float because it's filled with oils that are lighter than water. Sharks have many muscles throughout it's fins which helps it swim faster and easier.

  5/20/2009 10:10:26 PM
• Carrie

  The organism is a shark. The pinned organ is the liver. The liver keeps the shark afloat by storing fats. The shark is very hydrodynamic because the skin is so tightly streched over the underlying muscle. Also the fins make it very swift moving throughout the water. The shark's lateral line system makes it very suitable to its enviornment by allowing it to sense motion in its surroundings.C

  5/21/2009 9:01:36 PM
• Sofia

  This organism is a dogfish shark classified as squalus acanthis. The organ pinned is the left liver lobe. The liver produces bile and stores some waste and fats, which produce buoyancy. It stores oils and fatty acids. They need to swim a lot to stay afloat otherwise they will sink. But their oily livers help them stay up since that oil is less dense than water is. These sharks also have pectoral fins that function as rudders during swimming to help them as they change direction. The pelvic fins are used to stabilize the shark as it swims. Sharks also have a lateral line on the side of their bodies that help them detect movement in the water.

  5/25/2009 5:26:28 PM
• Rebecca

  I remember from many slideshows in class when the shark has been mentioned as your favorite, and believe that this is a shark from this and from its seemingly long and slender body frame. I believe that it is the liver because the location, color, and shape reminds me of our frog dissection. I don't know much about sharks, but my guess is that it stays afloat because of tiny air bubbles in the oils held in the liver. It is adapted to its environment because of its gills, and it is adapted to its niche because of its rows of teeth, streamlined body, and powerful tail muscles that produces its incredible speed allowing it to catch its prey.

  5/26/2009 7:27:47 PM
• Brette

  its the dogfish shark. the marked organ is the liver. it takes up most of the internal structure of the shark. the bile and fats allow it to stay afloat. the shark has line of sensors along it's side allowing to to sense its prey. this is called the skeletogenous septum

  5/27/2009 9:14:35 PM
• Lauren

  This is a shark, and the pin is in the left liver lobe. THe liver stores oil which is less dense than water so it helps the shark float. Also the shark has dorsal fins which help stablize the shark while swimming.

  5/27/2009 10:43:09 PM