Chicken Leg Dissection

Introduction: I will be dissecting a chicken leg which includes both the thigh and drumstick. Chicken legs are similarly made to human legs, the drumstick can be compared to the human lower leg and the chicken thigh is comparable to a human thigh. (Hub). The purpose of this dissection is to identify the different parts of the skeletal system and how they are connected to each other. (Beacon Learning Center).

Procedure: I placed the chicken leg on a cutting board. I began by lifting the skin and pulling it away from the muscle by hand. I worked slowly so that I could see the connective tissue that is attaching the skin to the muscle. At some places, where the skin did not easily pull away from the muscle, I used a knife to cut the connective tissue. The connective tissue was a thin, sticky material called areolar tissue. (Simple Web Page). Once the skin and connective tissue were removed I could see yellow clusters of fat. The fat serves the same purposes in chickens as in humans; storing energy and helping prevent body temperature loss are two of these. (FAO). The biological name for cells that store fat is adipose tissue. (Craig). Next I looked at the muscles. The muscles are the pink part of the chicken that people think of as the meat. The muscles are bundled together and can be pulled apart. The chicken thigh muscles are comparable to the quadriceps and hamstring muscles that are in humans. (Science). Next I looked at a tendon. The tendon was a white and smooth and looked like a cord. Skeletal muscles are the muscles that cause us to be able to move. They are attached to bone, other muscles or skin. They provide us with strength and give us our body shape. After examining the tendon, I removed the muscle to look at the chicken bone. I moved the leg around to see what kind of joint it had. The leg moved in a way that showed it had a hinge joint. I looked at a ligament that was helping to connect the bones and then cut it apart. The texture of the end of the bone was smooth. This is because of the cartilage that surrounds it. If the cartilage wears away it can result in arthritis. The bones will begin to rub together and the joint will become inflamed. Bone spurs may result from this. To help prevent this from happening ligaments and tendons work together to provide strength and flexibility. Muscles also contract right when joints need it to be give strength and stabilization. I did not break open the chicken bone. If I had broken open the bone I would have seen soft red marrow. Blood cells are made in this marrow. (Hub). Bone produces red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, calcium and proteins.

Results:

The Chicken Leg
Ready to Begin! 

Pulling off the Skin/The Connective Tissue

Connective Tissue

Chicken Fat

Skinned Chicken/Muscle

Skinned Chicken/Muscle

Tendon at the end of the drumstick.

Ligament and Hinge Joint

Conclusion: Through this process I was able to understand how the skeletal muscle system inside a human leg works. I was able to understand by comparing to the chicken leg how skin is connected to the muscle and how the muscles are intertwined to work together. I saw tendons and ligaments and can now visualize these things when discussing the human body. By dissecting the chicken leg, I saw how a hinge joint works and why cartilage is needed to avoid damaging the bone.

Works Cited

Beacon Learning Center. Dissecting a Leg. 29 April 2003. 14 April 2012 <http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/documents/1971_3291.pdf>.

Craig, Freudenrich Ph. D. How Fat Cells Work. 27 October 2000. 14 April 2012 <http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/human-biology/fat-cell.htm>.

FAO. Meat, Fat, and Othe Edible Carcass Parts. 2007. 14 April 2012 <http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai407e/AI407E03.htm>.

Hub, Science learning. Science Learning . 23 July 2007. 14 April 2012 <http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Contexts/Sporting-Edge/Teaching-and-Learning-Approaches/Muscle-dissection>.

Johnson, Michael. Human Biology. Pearson Education, 2012.

Science, Krieger. How to Dissect a Chicken Leg. 24 October 2010. 14 April 2012 <http://kriegerscience.wordpress.com/2010/10/24/how-to-dissect-a-chicken-leg/>.

Simple Web Page. n.d. 14 April 2012 <http://science.csustan.edu/flora/zool4232/Labs-S2010/tissues.htm>.