Where do science students get their live specimens?
By secretbear
@secretbear (19448)
Philippines
September 12, 2011 1:05am CST
When I was in college, I had a Zoology subject where we had to cut open toads to study its organs, muscles, skeleton, and everything. I find toads very disgusting because of their warty skin but I was forced to catch them and touch them or else, I will fail my subject. I used to catch toads at night inside our neighborhood. 
I wrapped my hands with plastic but it was useless because when the time for cutting it open comes, I had to hold it with bare hands. I could not cut open it properly if I were wearing gloves.
Recently, I heard that Biology students cut open cats and even sharks. My classmates (I'm already a graduate student) said there's a person supplying the students the cats they need for their dissection. The student pay for these cats. Now, we don't know where they get the sharks because sharks are endangered species and catching them is prohibited by a national law. 
What other animals you know are cut open by students? Where do they get them?
I wrapped my hands with plastic but it was useless because when the time for cutting it open comes, I had to hold it with bare hands. I could not cut open it properly if I were wearing gloves.
Recently, I heard that Biology students cut open cats and even sharks. My classmates (I'm already a graduate student) said there's a person supplying the students the cats they need for their dissection. The student pay for these cats. Now, we don't know where they get the sharks because sharks are endangered species and catching them is prohibited by a national law.
What other animals you know are cut open by students? Where do they get them?1 person likes this
7 responses
@bhabycatch013 (9150)
• Philippines
13 Sep 11
hi SC,
Well I watched a documentary show before about this
They get the specimen with a person who buy sharks in a Port area and sell it to the student.
happy mylotting
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
14 Sep 11
The person who sells the shark can be apprehended for violating a national law.
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
12 Sep 11
I don't know where a lot of the specimens come from; like the frogs that we had in Junior High when I was in school. We had live ones that were made unconscious and we were to cut the outer layer of "skin" and look at the insides through a clearer layer underneath. We had lab partners and, before I could stop him, my partner made a rectangular flap cut rather than the slit we were supposed to do. However, surprisingly our frog lived longer than any of the others. Now back to your question. When I was in elementary school at a school that was associated with a college, a friend and I would get turpentine from the workroom and poor a little down a tarantula hole which would force the spider to come out and we would catch it in a jar. Then we would go and sell it to someone in the biology department for $0.25. So that was how they got some of their spider specimens back then.
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
14 Sep 11
I've seen frog and toad specimens that still lives even though they were already cut open in the stomach. At least, their hearts still beats so I guess they are still living. 
So one of the suppliers are kids who like to catch animals and sell them for money. 
So one of the suppliers are kids who like to catch animals and sell them for money. 
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
14 Sep 11
Actually, I'm wondering about those students who love pets but are still able to cut open a cat.
@chiwasaki (4694)
• Philippines
12 Sep 11
When I was a student, we used to dissect frogs. Bull frogs to be specific, the big ones that are kind of gross. I know that there are some shops that offers cats to medical students in a cheap price. It really disturbs me since I'm a pet lover but I think medical students really need this. Now for the sharks, I'm not sure where they get these. Sharks are endangered species and even though they look horrible, I love sharks. Try checking tonic immobility in YouTube. I fell in love with sharks the moment I saw this videos. 
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
14 Sep 11
Any big frogs or toads are gross. 
Yeah, a lot of people are bothered when they hear cats being dissected since they are usually domesticated as pets. But they say cats aren't endangered of even threatened so it is still okay to exploit them as lab specimens.
I like small sharks in the aquarium but big sharks???
Yeah, a lot of people are bothered when they hear cats being dissected since they are usually domesticated as pets. But they say cats aren't endangered of even threatened so it is still okay to exploit them as lab specimens.
I like small sharks in the aquarium but big sharks??? 
@emirucandy (1)
• Indonesia
12 Sep 11
its a white mice with red eye. its usually for laboratory exprment but also for science experiment at my place they got it from a farm a mice farm they sell it 0,05 dollar each
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
14 Sep 11
The kind of mouse that's always in a movie with a scientist?
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
16 Sep 11
There's always a department for all sorts of animals, being kept for research purposes. So it's not that difficult to find them if one has the right contacts. I believe the black market has lots of such deals as well. IF not, where are students gonna find all the specimens they wanted? Catching Sharks are out of the question for students, so the only way is to approach proachers.. hehe 
