Comparative Anatomy Students Dissect Sharks

Students in Matt Lubicky’s Comparative Anatomy class recently dissected dogfish sharks. According to Mr. Lubicky, dogfish sharks (squalus acanthias) are a common small shark that live in the Atlantic Ocean. They used to be seen as a nuisance, but have been used more and more in food items like fish and chips (especially in England) as well as in research as model organisms. “Our class took a quick look at some dogfish to see some differences in shark anatomy compared to the human anatomy we’ve been covering in class,” he said. “Although dissections can be smelly (because of the preservative), they are a wonderful way to look at the biology around us without, in this case, going into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.”