Grasshopper Dissection

This term our class started a science class with Mr. Osorio. He started our first class by telling us that we would be doing a lot of hands-on labs with him over the rest of the year. Our first lab was dissecting grasshoppers. We were each given a tray filled with hard wax, a set of dissecting tools, aprons, gloves, and grasshoppers about three inches long each. We were also given a sheet of paper explaining all the body parts of a grasshopper and how they are used.

Elise in Lab

Learning about how the various parts of the grasshopper function.

When we finished reading the papers we began the dissecting process. Mr. Osorio had a camera set up so that we could see on the large screen what he was doing with his grasshopper. First he showed us where the labrum was and how to open and close by lifting it. Then we studied the grasshoppers wings. To see the wings we had to lift the wing covers off first. The grasshoppers that we dissected did not have fully formed wings so they were not as big as I expected. Underneath the wings were the grasshopper’s ears. They were covered by a very thin layer of skin and looked similar to frog ears. 

Next we removed all the legs for easier access to the torso. Mr. Osorio demonstrated how to use the tools to cut a straight line through the underside of the grasshopper’s torso. The insides of the grasshopper were orange. After we opened the torso we opened the back of the head. From there you could see into the brain. It was also orange but was firmer than the intestines.

It was cool to learn about how to dissect things properly and about the tools to do it. I enjoyed the close up study of the grasshoppers and I am excited for the next lab we have in science class.