Fish Squid Lab Report

Our lab manual states that dissecting a fish/squid gives anyone who has not experienced one "a chance to see just exactly what makes an organism tick on the inside and how they compare to human internal anatomy" (Mertz, Garrison and Baker 164). What is meant by this is, by becoming familiar with the essential organs and body parts of vertebrate organisms such as a fish or rat, along with those of invertebrates like a squid or crab, one can have an idea of what to expect with the anatomy of humans. While humans are not exactly the same as the said animals—particularly the fish or squid—one should at least be able to understand that since fishes are vertebrates, they are much closer to humans than squids, which lack any bones. By looking at the bones of any fish, such as the ribs or the spine of a mackerel, their structural similarities to the bones of humans and other mammals can be quite noticeable.

Throughout time, of course, marine biologists have created methods—or “techniques” (163)—that allow such a task to become more straightforward. The method which mainly comes to mind involves close observation of the organism, and noting as much of its minor and major characteristics while attempting to identify it. By recording such details as the organism’s symmetry, general shape, colors, external appearance, internal structure, and measurement, marine scientists can refer back to identification guides to figure out what specific classification their organism fits in, or whether they have the right taxonomy in mind or not (Mertz, Garrison and Baker 163-164). Upon confirming the organism’s identity with the noted characteristics, finding extra information about it becomes much easier