Squid Dissection

What cool homeschool friends we have! So grateful for the Callaway's! Hands on learning is FUN!

Oh Boy, here we go! Plug your nose!






Partners!


This lady rocks in so many ways! Here she is trying to remove the beak.
"In the centre of the web of tentacles lies a hard, sharp and murderous beak that resembles that of a parrot. The beak is a tool for killing and dismembering prey."


I think Ty and Chloe were preparing to open the arms in order to find the beak on their squid


There it is! Do you see it? It's that small black thing that resembles a thorn sort-of. We are not working with a giant squid people! Our's was small :) That root looking thing was the esophagus. It's usually longer, but they tore it by accident while trying to extract the beak.


Using a tool to point to the eye socket


Cutting the Mantle
"The main body mass is enclosed in the mantle, which has a swimming fin along each side"
You can see the fins on the side. They resemble triangles.




Carter pointing to the ink sac.
"The ink sac allows a squid to rapidly discharge black ink into the mantle cavity."
"Squid can turn dark, squeeze ink out of their INK SAC, then turn light or clear to confuse a predator and escape."




Suction cups! They help the squid hold onto food.


The "pen"
"The gladius pen is a long, clear feather-shaped structure used to support the mantle and for organ attachment. It and the cranium, or brain case, make up the "skeleton" of the squid. It feels like plastic and is made of tissue similar to a shrimp shell."
The plan was to try and remove the pen and then dip it in ink from the ink sac and write something. It did not quite work. It's hard to remove the pen without breaking it.


See that thing being lifted up by the tool on the top, right? I think that was some type of muscle that helped the squid move through the water and turn. I can't remember the name of it.


Filling out worksheets at the end


And, what do you do when you're not dissecting? Build a fort, of course!