Field Specimens
Six preserved specimens for studying how mammals are built — one system, one chamber, one organ at a time. For pricing and ordering information, please contact us directly at support@brainathlon.com. Include the specimens you’re interested in, desired quantities, and any special requirements, and we’ll respond with a tailored quote.
06
SPECIMENS
04
SPECIES
Wet Preservation
METHOD
Comparative Study
PURPOSE
Mammalia · Carnivora · Felidae
Domestic Cat
Felis catus
The most advanced specimen in the set: a full carnivore body. Muscle groups and organ placement here are more developed than in the fetal pig, which makes it the step up once the basics are down.
LOOK FOR
Musculature · Digits & claws · Whiskers
Mammalia · Artiodactyla · Suidae
Fetal Pig
Sus scrofa domesticus
A whole body rather than a single organ, chosen because a pig’s internal layout tracks a human’s closely enough to teach from directly. Externally, the umbilical cord, the folded ear, and the still-closed eyes mark it as unborn.
LOOK FOR
Umbilical cord · Digits · External ear · Eyelids
Mammalia · Artiodactyla · Bovidae
Cow Eye
Bos taurus
Close enough to the human eye in size and layout that it stands in for it in most teaching labs. This one is still whole — the fat pad, the ribbon of extraocular muscle, and a short stub of optic nerve are all intact at the back of the globe, exactly where they were cut from the socket.
LOOK FOR
Cornea · Sclera · Optic nerve · Extraocular muscle · Tapetum lucidum
Mammalia · Artiodactyla · Bovidae
Sheep Heart
Ovis aries
Four chambers, in roughly the proportions a human heart would have. The surface vessels tracing the outside are the heart’s own blood supply, still visible before any cut is made — the first thing worth finding before opening the chambers.
LOOK FOR
Left ventricle · Right atrium · Aorta · Pulmonary artery · Coronary vessels
Mammalia · Artiodactyla · Bovidae
Sheep Brain
Ovis aries
Viewed from above: two cerebral hemispheres, a cerebellum tucked behind them, and the brainstem trailing off below. The folding is simpler than in a human brain, which makes the major landmarks easier to pick out on a first pass.
LOOK FOR
Cerebrum · Longitudinal fissure · Cerebellum · Brainstem · Meninges
Mammalia · Artiodactyla · Bovidae
Sheep Kidney
Ovis aries
The bean shape hides all the interesting anatomy on the inside — from outside, the only entry point is the hilum, the notch where the artery, vein, and ureter gather before running off toward the bladder.
LOOK FOR
Hilum · Renal artery · Renal vein · Ureter · Capsule