The muscular system
chicken wing disection
Remove skin from the chicken wing. Be careful not to cut into any muscle tissue. The best way to remove the skin is to cut along the length of the bone.
Identify the upper wing and the lower wing, along with the wing tip.
What structures do these correspond to in humans?
The correspond to the upper and lower arm and hand of a human.
Identify the muscles in the upper wing. Have a go at tugging on each of these muscles.
What happens when you tug on these muscles?
When the muscles are pulled on the lower wing moves up and down.
What muscles do they correspond to in humans?
They correspond to the triceps and biceps.
Which muscle is an extensor?
The bicep is the extensor because it gets longer so that the wing moves downwards.
Which muscle is a flexor?
The tricep is the flexor as it contracts when the bicep extends and the wing moves downwards.
Identify the muscles in the lower wing. Have a go at tugging on each of these muscles.
What happens when you tug on these muscles?
When the muscles are tugged on the wing tip moves up and down
Label the muscles on the diagram below. Use two different colours to identify the extensor muscle and flexor muscle. Next to each muscle, explain what happens when the muscle contracts.
Identify the upper wing and the lower wing, along with the wing tip.
What structures do these correspond to in humans?
The correspond to the upper and lower arm and hand of a human.
Identify the muscles in the upper wing. Have a go at tugging on each of these muscles.
What happens when you tug on these muscles?
When the muscles are pulled on the lower wing moves up and down.
What muscles do they correspond to in humans?
They correspond to the triceps and biceps.
Which muscle is an extensor?
The bicep is the extensor because it gets longer so that the wing moves downwards.
Which muscle is a flexor?
The tricep is the flexor as it contracts when the bicep extends and the wing moves downwards.
Identify the muscles in the lower wing. Have a go at tugging on each of these muscles.
What happens when you tug on these muscles?
When the muscles are tugged on the wing tip moves up and down
Label the muscles on the diagram below. Use two different colours to identify the extensor muscle and flexor muscle. Next to each muscle, explain what happens when the muscle contracts.
When Muscles Contract
Bicep: The tricep extends and the lower wing moves upwards.
Tricep: The bicep extends and the lower wing moves downwards.
Ulnaris: The radialis longis extends and the wing tip moves upwards
Radialis Longis: The ulnaris extends and the wing tip moves downwards.
Bicep: The tricep extends and the lower wing moves upwards.
Tricep: The bicep extends and the lower wing moves downwards.
Ulnaris: The radialis longis extends and the wing tip moves upwards
Radialis Longis: The ulnaris extends and the wing tip moves downwards.
Cut away some of the muscle tissue. Find the tissue that connects the muscle to the bone.
What is this tissue called?
It is called a tendon
Describe what it looks like.
The tendon is thin, smooth,transparent, linear,long and extending onto the bone.
Observe the elbow joint.
What is the tissue that connects the bones at this joint called?
It is called a ligament
What kind of joint is this?
The joint is a hinge joint
What kind of joint connects the wing at the shoulder?
The connecting joint is a ball and socket.
Describe the cartilage the lines the joint.
The cartilage is white, smooth, thin, slippery and there is enough to line the ends of each bone.
Continue to cut away all of the muscle, so as to expose just the bones.
Name the bones found in the chicken wing.
Humerus, Radius, Ulna
Label the diagram below with the bones and joints you can identify.
What is this tissue called?
It is called a tendon
Describe what it looks like.
The tendon is thin, smooth,transparent, linear,long and extending onto the bone.
Observe the elbow joint.
What is the tissue that connects the bones at this joint called?
It is called a ligament
What kind of joint is this?
The joint is a hinge joint
What kind of joint connects the wing at the shoulder?
The connecting joint is a ball and socket.
Describe the cartilage the lines the joint.
The cartilage is white, smooth, thin, slippery and there is enough to line the ends of each bone.
Continue to cut away all of the muscle, so as to expose just the bones.
Name the bones found in the chicken wing.
Humerus, Radius, Ulna
Label the diagram below with the bones and joints you can identify.