Download Beneath the Skin Lab

Name__________________________
Per_______Date___________
Beneath the Skin Lab
Problem
Are there similarities in the structures of chickens and humans? If so, what does this mean for
movement?
Materials
protective gloves
scissors
towels
knife
chicken wing
Hypothesis
Procedure
1. Study the diagram of the chicken wing to locate certain muscular and skeletal structures.
2. Rinse the chicken wing under cool water and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.
3. Using the scissors, cut down the middle of the skin, starting at the top end of the upper wing,
trying not to cut the muscles underneath the skin.
4. Fat. Peel the skin back and look for yellowish tissue clumped together beneath the skin. This
is fat tissue, made of fat cells.
5. Muscles. Observe the muscles in the wing. They look like bundles of pink tissue.
6. Find two muscles in the wing that bend and straighten the elbow joint. Hold the wing down at
the shoulder and alternatively pull on each muscle. Observe what happens.
7. Tendons. Tendons are shiny white tissues at the ends of the muscles that attach muscles to
bones. Observe how it helps the chicken move its wing when pulled.
8. Joints and Ligaments. Two bones come together at a joint. Ligaments connect bones to other
bones at joints. They look like a shiny white covering of the joint surfaces. Observe how the
bones fit together as the elbow is bent and straightened.
9. Cartilage. Between the bones is another shiny white material that is slippery. This is cartilage,
which helps the bones move without grinding against one another, or without causing trauma.
10. Record your observations. Wash your hands and all equipment in hot, soapy water.
Name__________________________
Per_______Date___________
Observations/ Data
Tissue
Description (color, texture, etc)
Skin
Fat
Muscle
Tendon
Ligament
Cartilage
Tissue it attaches to
1. Which joint in the human body is similar to the joint you just studied?
Analysis
1. What type of tissue actually moves the chicken wing?
2. Why are tendons important to a muscle’s ability to make the body move?
3. What tissue of the chicken wing is commonly referred to as the “meat”?
Conclusion
Based on your observations, explain the roles of 1) muscles, 2) tendons, 3) bones, and 4) joints in
the movements of the lower chicken wing. Explain what happened when one of the arm muscles
was pulled and what the pulling represents.