Question

Dissection of Rat is done from this side:
(a) Dorsal
(b) Ventral
(c) Anterior
(d) Lateral

Answer 1

Hint: The dissecting incision is taken from the snout to the genitals of the rat from the underside of its body placing it on the dissection board where the underside faces the dissector.

Complete step by step answer:
Rattus rattus, is commonly known as black rat. The dissection of Black rat is aimed at understanding the basic mammalian anatomy and to understand it's structures and functions. The main purpose is exploring the alimentary canal and understanding the digestive system. The body is divided into six anatomical regions: cranial region, cervical region, pectoral, thoracic, abdominal and pelvic. The rat is placed such that the back touches the board and the ventral surface is directed upwards and an incision is made in such a manner to properly explore the inner structures.

So, the correct answer is ‘(b) Ventral’.

Additional information:
- The taxonomy of black rat is as follows: Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Subphylum Vertebrata, Class Mammalia, Order Rodentia, Family Muridae, GenusRattus, Species  rattus.
- As rats belong to Subphylum Vertebrata, it has a structure similar to all the vertebrates, this similarity suggests a common origin which would be helpful in tracing ancestry.
- The muscles like biceps brachii, triceps brachii, latissimus dorsi, biceps femoris, tibialis, gluteus, gastrocnemius, etc are similar to those seen in humans.
- Trachea, larynx, lymph glands, salivary glands can also be observed by proper dissection
So, the correct answer is ‘ventral’

Note:
- Dorsal refers to the side which represents the back which is covered with black hair.
- Ventral refers to the underside of the rat's body which is fleshy and lacks hair.
- Anterior refers to the snout area and the posterior refers to the area containing the tail.