Hey there! A while back, my friend Lauren Smith, who works as a collections assistant at the Field Museum, and I hosted a live dissection of a North American beaver. This took place in the museum’s new interactive learning space, the Granger Science Hub. People from Chicago and even some from Wisconsin joined us in person, and we also streamed it live for viewers around the world. Since not everyone has three and a half hours to watch, we edited the video for you. If you’re curious about the full version, there’s a link in the video description. Feel free to check it out!
In the video description, we also answered some common questions, like why we weren’t wearing gloves. If you have more questions, leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them. If you enjoyed this and want to see more livestreams, let me know!
Hi, everyone! Thanks for joining us for our first live stream dissection at the Granger Science Hub in the Field Museum. I’m Emily Grassley, the museum’s chief curiosity correspondent, and I’m here with Lauren. Lauren, can you tell us what you do here?
Lauren: I’m the collections assistant in the mammal division at the Field Museum.
Emily: So, this isn’t your first time doing this?
Lauren: No, I’ve done a few beaver dissections before, but never live!
Emily: That’s exciting! Today, we’re going to skin the beaver, remove its major organs, and prepare it for our education collection. Although this beaver came to us without any data, it can still provide valuable information for research and education.
We’re starting by removing the skin, which will be added to our mammal collection for researchers, students, and artists to study. As we separate the fur, you’ll notice it’s very thick. Beavers are semi-aquatic animals, meaning they live both on land and in water, and they need to stay warm in cold climates. The white fur underneath helps keep them warm, while the brownish-red fur on top consists of guard hairs.
Let’s begin!
Did you know that in winter, beavers store food under the ice? This helps them survive when their habitats freeze over. They can store leaves and twigs underwater, allowing them to access fresh food even in the middle of winter.
Now, let’s work on the legs and expose the knee. You can see the separation between the muscle tissue and the skin. The membrane connecting the skin to the muscle is called fascia. As we get closer to removing the skin around the head, we’ll show you the eyes. Beavers have poor eyesight and rely on sound and smell to navigate their environment. They even have a special membrane that protects their eyes while swimming.
Beavers have a cloaca, a single opening for their urinary, reproductive, and digestive systems, similar to birds and reptiles. The castor glands are located here, which secrete fluids that help waterproof their fur and signal other beavers.
Humans have found uses for castor oil, derived from these glands. It’s used in perfumes and as a natural flavoring in food.
Let’s take a look at those webbed feet! Beavers are clumsy on land but move quickly in water. The double claw on their feet is used for grooming and applying castor oil to their fur for waterproofing.
We’re dissecting the lymph nodes now. When you get sick, your lymph nodes swell because they are part of your immune system. Beavers have strong cheek muscles because they need to chew through wood. We’re preserving these muscles for research.
We’ve successfully removed the skin! You can see the face, ears, and inside of the mouth. Next, we’re going to dissect the castor glands. Neither Lauren nor I have done this before, so it will be a learning experience for both of us.
We’re carefully cutting around the glands. Oh, I think I found it! Yes, that’s definitely it!
Now, we’re going to remove the organs. This is the liver, and here’s the bladder. Beavers primarily eat wood and plant material, and they practice coprophagy, meaning they eat their own feces to extract more nutrients.
Let’s check out the intestines. Wow, they’re full! Now, we’re going to remove the bladder.
We’ve got the heart here. It’s not beating, thankfully! Now, let’s take out the lungs. They have four lobes and are quite slippery. We’re going to open up the trachea and esophagus next.
Here’s the tongue! It’s quite fatty. We’ve had a great time doing this dissection. Thank you to everyone who tuned in from around the world! If you enjoyed this, let us know. This livestream will be archived, so you can watch it anytime. Don’t forget to share it and subscribe!
Thanks for watching!
Using materials like cardboard, clay, and paint, create a diorama of a beaver’s habitat. Include elements such as a lodge, dam, and surrounding environment. Think about how beavers interact with their habitat and what features are essential for their survival. Share your diorama with the class and explain the choices you made.
In groups, choose a specific adaptation of the beaver, such as its webbed feet or thick fur. Create a short skit or role-play that demonstrates how this adaptation helps the beaver survive in its environment. Perform your skit for the class and discuss the importance of adaptations in the animal kingdom.
Design a puzzle that represents the anatomy of a beaver. Use materials like foam or cardboard to create pieces for different organs and body parts. Assemble the puzzle with your classmates, and as you do, discuss the function of each part and how it contributes to the beaver’s overall health and survival.
Research different species of beavers and their habitats around the world. Create a presentation that includes maps, images, and interesting facts about these beavers. Present your findings to the class, highlighting the similarities and differences between the species and their environments.
Watch a documentary or video clips about beaver behavior in the wild. Take notes on their activities, such as building dams, foraging, and social interactions. Write a short report or create a visual presentation summarizing your observations and what you learned about beaver behavior and ecology.
Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Hey! A couple of weeks ago, my friend Lauren Smith, who is a collections assistant here at the Field Museum, and I did a livestream of a North American beaver dissection in the museum’s new interactive learning space called the Granger Science Hub. This allowed many people from Chicago and even some from Wisconsin to watch in person, which was fantastic! We also livestreamed it for viewers around the world. I know that most of you probably don’t have three and a half hours to spare, so we edited it down for you. If you want to see the entire thing, I’ve included a link in the video description. It’s still online, so feel free to check it out!
In the video description, we also answer many frequently asked questions, like why we weren’t wearing gloves. If you have any other questions, leave them in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to answer. If you enjoyed this and want to see us do another livestream in the future, let me know!
Okay, let’s get started!
[Music]
Hey, this is so exciting! Thank you for joining us for our first live stream dissection here in the Granger Science Hub at the Field Museum. I am Emily Grassley, the museum’s chief curiosity correspondent, and I’m joined today by Lauren. Lauren, what do you do here?
I am the collections assistant in the mammal division at the Field Museum.
So, this isn’t your first rodeo?
No, I’ve done a few beaver dissections before, but I’ve never done one live!
Alright, I’m excited for you! Today, we’re going to skin the beaver, remove its major organs, and prepare it for our education collection. The specimen came to us without any data; we found it in our freezer, but it can still contribute valuable information for our understanding of beavers and education.
We’re going to start by taking the skin off first, and we’ll keep everything we can. As Emily mentioned, it will go straight into our mammal collection for researchers, students, and artists to study.
As we start separating the fur, you can see that it’s very thick. Beavers are semi-aquatic animals, and they need to stay warm in colder climates. The white fur underneath helps keep them warm, while the brownish-red fur on top consists of guard hairs.
Alright, let’s begin!
[Music]
I’m going to make a small cut here. An interesting fact about beavers is that in winter, they store food under the ice, which helps them survive when their habitats freeze over. They can store leaves and twigs underwater, allowing them to access fresh food even in the middle of winter.
Now, let’s work on the legs. We’ll start by exposing the knee.
You can see the separation between the muscle tissue and the skin. The membrane that connects the skin to the muscle is called fascia. As we get closer to removing the skin around the head, we’ll show you the eyes. Beavers have poor eyesight and rely on sound and smell to navigate their environment. They even have a special membrane that protects their eyes while swimming.
Beavers also have a cloaca, which is a single opening for their urinary, reproductive, and digestive systems, similar to birds and reptiles. The castor glands are located here, which secrete fluids that have various uses for the beaver, including waterproofing their fur and signaling to other beavers.
Humans have also found uses for castor oil, which is derived from these glands. It’s used in perfumes and as a natural flavoring in food.
Now, let’s take a look at those webbed feet!
They’re beautiful! Beavers are quite clumsy on land, but in the water, they are streamlined and move quickly. The double claw on their feet is used for grooming and applying castor oil to their fur for waterproofing.
Now, we’re dissecting the lymph nodes. When you get sick, your lymph nodes swell because they are part of your immune system.
Beavers have strong cheek muscles because they need to chew through wood. We’re preserving these muscles for research.
Alright, we’ve successfully removed the skin! You can see the face, ears, and inside of the mouth.
Next, we’re going to dissect the castor glands. Neither Lauren nor I have done this before, so it will be a learning experience for both of us.
[Music]
We’re going to carefully cut around the glands.
Oh, I think I found it!
Yes, that’s definitely it!
Now, we’re going to remove the organs.
This is the liver, and here’s the bladder. Beavers primarily eat wood and plant material, and they practice coprophagy, meaning they eat their own feces to extract more nutrients.
Let’s check out the intestines.
Wow, they’re full!
Now, we’re going to remove the bladder.
[Music]
We’ve got the heart here.
It’s not beating, thankfully!
Now, let’s take out the lungs.
They have four lobes, and they’re quite slippery.
We’re going to open up the trachea and esophagus next.
[Music]
Here’s the tongue!
It’s quite fatty.
We’ve had a great time doing this dissection. Thank you to everyone who tuned in from around the world! If you enjoyed this, let us know. This livestream will be archived, so you can watch it anytime. Don’t forget to share it and subscribe!
Thanks for watching!
[Applause]
—
This version removes any inappropriate language and maintains a professional tone while preserving the educational content.
Beaver – A large, semiaquatic rodent known for building dams and lodges using branches and mud. – Beavers play a crucial role in their ecosystem by creating wetlands that support a variety of plant and animal life.
Dissection – The process of carefully cutting apart a body or plant to study its internal parts. – During the biology class, students performed a dissection of a frog to learn about its internal anatomy.
Anatomy – The study of the structure of living organisms, especially their internal systems and organs. – Understanding the anatomy of the human body helps scientists and doctors diagnose and treat illnesses.
Mammal – A warm-blooded vertebrate animal that has hair or fur and whose females produce milk to feed their young. – Humans, whales, and elephants are all examples of mammals.
Immune – Having resistance to a particular infection or toxin due to the presence of specific antibodies or sensitized white blood cells. – After receiving the vaccine, the body becomes immune to certain diseases.
Glands – Organs in the body that secrete hormones or other substances needed for various bodily functions. – The salivary glands produce saliva, which helps in the digestion of food.
Lymph – A clear fluid that travels through the lymphatic system, carrying cells that help fight infections and diseases. – The lymph nodes filter lymph and trap bacteria and viruses, preventing them from spreading in the body.
Habitat – The natural environment where a plant or animal lives and grows. – The rainforest provides a habitat for thousands of species, including many that are not found anywhere else on Earth.
Fur – The thick hair covering the skin of many mammals, providing insulation and protection. – Polar bears have thick fur that helps them stay warm in the icy Arctic environment.
Nutrients – Substances that provide the necessary components for growth and the maintenance of life. – Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, which are essential for their growth and development.
