Anatomy of Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Wild Bird Species

Acquisition of basic knowledge focused in the comparative anatomy of fishes, amphibians, reptiles and birds from a clinically oriented or a productive point of view.
Our purpose is to complement the anatomic instruction of the veterinary student that may be interested in these species.

Developed according to the schedule approved for the academic year.

LECTURES: 22.5 sessions of fifty minutes
Chapter I: Fishes (6 hours)
Lesson-1. Introduction and generalities. Class of fishes.
Lesson-2. Main differences between freshwater and marine fishes.
Lesson-3. External and internal morphology.
Lesson-4. Other related aspects. Fast diagnostic tests in ictiopathology.

Chapter II: Amphibians and Reptiles (7.5 hours)
Lesson-5. Introduction and general facts of Class Amphibia. Life cycle.
Lesson-6. Amphibians. Locomotor system. Splanchnology. Common integument. Nervous system and sense organs.
Lesson-7. Introduction and general facts of Class Reptilia. Life cycle.
Lesson-8. Turtles and tortoises. Locomotor system. Splanchnology. Common integument (shell).
Lesson-9. Lizards. Locomotor system. Splanchnology.
Lesson-10. Snakes. Locomotor system. Splanchnology. Common integument and shedding. Nervous system and sense organs. Methods of defense (poison production).
Lesson-11. Crocodiles. Locomotor system. Splanchnology. Common integument.

Chapter III: BIRDS (9 hours)
Lesson-12. Introduction and general facts. Origin and evolution of the birds. Classification.
Lesson-13. Common integument. The beak. Feathers and plumages.
Lesson-14. Locomotor apparatus I. Osteology and myology.
Lesson-15. Locomotor apparatus II. Wings and flight. Legs: structure and modifications.
Lesson-16. Digestive apparatus and feeding.
Lesson-17. Respiratory system and thermoregulation.
Lesson-18. Urogenital apparatus. Reproduction.
Lesson-19. Circulatory system.
Lesson-20. Nervous system. Sense organs.

LB1. FISHES (4 hours). Observation and recognition of the external anatomy. Dissection of salmoniform species internal anatomy. Performing of sampling for fast diagnosis usually employed in ictiopatology. Microscopy of samples of blood, skin, branchia, anterior kidney, spleen, thymus and digestive and genital tracts.
LB2. AMPHIBIANS and REPTILES (4 hours). Identification of specimens of amphibians (anura and urodela) and reptilian (lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodiles). Recognition and topography of organs. Dissection of available specimens. Projection of videos and observation of diverse material of interest, relative to the species of study.
LB3. BIRDS (3 hours). Observation and recognition of specimens of wild birds. Comparative study of the skeleton and its adaptations.
LB4. BIRDS (3 hours) Dissection of birds and observation of the locomotor apparatus destined to the flight, the visceral systems, the corporal cavity and the air sacs. Sexing of specimens.

For these not so common animal species, we do not recommend a basic text. The contents of the virtual classroom will serve as basic reference. For any other aspect, the recommended texts among others can provide additional information.

FISHES
• Brown L. 2000. Acuicultura para veterinarios. Ed. Acribia. Zaragoza.
• Roberts H.E. 2009. Fundamentals of ornamental fish health. Ed. Wiley-Blackwell. USA.
• Genten F., Terwinghe E., Danguy A. 2009. Atlas of fish histology. Ed. Science Publishers.
• Ferguson H.W. 2006. Systemic Pathology of Fish. 2nd ed. Ed. Scotian Press.
• Noga E. J. 2010. Fish Disease. Diagnosis and Treatment. Ed. Wiley-Blackwell.

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES
• Ackerman L. 1997. The Biology, Husbandry and Health Care of Reptiles. Vol I - The Biology of Reptiles. Ed. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. USA
• Bauchot R (editor). 1994. Snakes: A Natural History. Ed. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. USA.
• Burnie D. (editor). 2002. Animal: la Definitiva e Impactante Guía Visual de la Vida Salvaje en Nuestro Planeta. Ed. Pearson Educación. Madrid.
• Halliday T.R., Alder K. (editores) 1991. Anfibios y Reptiles. Colección Animales del Mundo. Ediciones Folio. Navarra.
• Hofrichter R. 2000. The Enciclopedia of Amphibians. Ed. Key Porter Books Limited, Canada.
• Levy C. 2003. Crocodiles and Alligators. Colección Endangered Species. Ed. Eagle Editions Ltd. U.K.
• Martín Orti R., Marín García P., González Soriano J. 2004. Atlas de Anatomía de Animales Exóticos. Ed. Masson S.A.

BIRDS
• Farner D.S. & King J.R., editors. 1971-1975 Avian Biology. Vols. I-V. Ed. Academic Press (New York - London).
• Ghetie V., Chitescu S.T., Cotofan V. & Hillebrand A. 1981. Atlas de anatomía de las aves domésticas, Ed. Acribia.
• King A.S. & McLelland J. 1979-1985. Form and Function in Birds. Vols 1-4. Ed. Academic Press (London).
• König H.E. & Liebich H.G. 2001. Anatomie und Propädeutik des Geflügels. Ed. Schattauer.
• König H.E., Korbel, R. & Liebich H.G. 2016. Avian Anatomy. Textbook and colour atlas. 2nd ed. Ed.5M publishing, (UK)
• Lovette I.J. & Fitzpatrick J.W. editors. 2016. Handbook of bird biology 3rd ed. Ed. John Wiley & sons, (U.K).
• Nickel R., Schummer A. & Seiferle E. 1977. Anatomy of the domestic birds, Verlag Paul Parey.
• Scanes C.G. editor. 2014. Sturkie´s Avian Physiology. 6th ed. Ed. Academic Press (New York - London).

It is generally recommended to use the electronic access bibliography available in the USC Library: "A BUSC EN LIÑA" https://busconline.gal.
In addition, it is possible to search for scientific journals and e-books managed by BUGalicia, using USC credentials, through Pórtico (http://sfx.bugalicia.org/san/az) and EZproxy (https://www.usc.gal/gl/servizos/biblioteca/utilidades/ezproxy.html).
For specific topics, teachers can provide open access articles and/or recommend searching through PubMed or Google Schoolar among others.

The students will acquire basic knowledge on the structure and handling of the studied species

Generic competences:
GVUSC01. Capacity to learn and to adapt to new situations.
GVUSC02. Capacity for analysis and synthesis.
GVUSC05. Capacity for applying knowledge in practice.
GVUSC06. Ability to work autonomously and as a part of a group.

Specific competences of the subject:
CEDVUSC02. To acquire knowledge on the structure and function of healthy animals.

Academic competences:
CEAVUSC08. To realize the need of updating knowledge, abilities and attitudes, by means of a permanent learning process.

Transversal competences:
CTVUSC02. Capacity to obtain appropriate, varied and up-to-date information using different resources, such as bibliographic information and internet, and critically analyze it.
CTVUSC03. Capacity to elaborate and present an organized and understandable text.

The subject uses 22.5 sessions of 50-minutes; attendance to lectures is highly recommended to assimilate well the contents and getting the most out of the practical sessions

These sessions are distributed as follows:
• 6 h devoted to the study of the fishes,
• 7.5 h for reptiles and amphibians,
• 9 h for the birds.

Practical sessions: : We plan 4 practical work sessions under the supervision of the teaching staff, each one lasting 4 or 3 hours. They take place in the dissection room in Hall 3, according to the schedule established by the academic calendar. Attendance to these sessions is mandatory to pass the subject in both opportunities, ordinary and recovery.


During the 4 practical sessions, the students will follow the guidelines given by the academic staff, completed with their notes taken in the lectures and with the contents downloaded from the virtual campus. In order to solve specific questions, printed and online atlases are highly advisable. In this way, the students will get used to literature reviewing.

In order to comply with biosafety and biosecurity measures, the students must wear white lab coats, rubber boots, disposable gloves and bring basic dissection material: scalpel, tweezers and scissors; safety goggles and hygienic protective mask are strongly recommended . There will be basic biosafety and biosecurity measures displayed at the entrance of the practice lab, also available on the virtual campus. The students must adopt them. The teaching staff will resolve any doubt regarding this issue.


Attendance to the practices is obligatory and essential to sit the final exam. Non-attendance –except in duly justified circumstances of force majeure–supposes not performing the final exam of the part (or parts) of the subject related to said absence.


Tutoring
There are two types of tutoring in the current curriculum: group and individual tutoring. The group session will take place on the date set by the academic calendar and usually serves to assess the outcome of the practical task.
The second one is the traditional tutorial, highly recommended to clarify any doubts and difficulties that may arise during the semester. It is necessary to set a date with the lecturer beforehand. It usually takes place at lecturer’s office, unless it is agreed to perform them telematically using the MSTeams platform

The subject consists of a face-to-face final test carried out on the dates determined by the calendar of exams passed for each year, whose grade accounts for 70% of the overall grade, which is complementary to the continuous evaluation based on the practical work that represents the remaining 30%.


The written exam will consist of a mixture of short questions, multiple-choice questions with single or multiple answers, sentences to identify as true or false, figures to complete, lists of terms to relate according to certain criteria, etc. At the beginning of the exam, the lecturers will clarify if there are any questions that subtract points.

The exam will have the three blocks, one for each different part of the subject, whose weight in the final grade varies according to the percentage of hours spent: 27.5% fish, reptiles-amphibians 31.5% and 41% birds. It is necessary to obtain a minimum of five (5) points out of ten to pass each block and the subject as a whole; however, for the average grade resulting from this test, a minimum of 4 points out of 10 will be required in each block.
If the subject is not passed at the first exam opportunity, the score achieved in the approved blocks would be saved for the second opportunity.

The continuous assessment based on practical work will consider the involvement and attitude of each student as well as the manual work skills and the knowledge acquired during the practical sessions.
In addition, each year there will be a task for each one of the three blocks of the subject related to the practical work undertaken. Its score will also be part of the 30% of the final grade. The tasks will be duly communicated through the virtual classroom before the beginning of the practices.
The qualification obtained in the tasks, whenever it is equal to or greater than 5, is saved indefinitely until the matter is passed (in the same course or successive ones if applicable)

In case of plagiarism, fraud or improper use of technologies for the realization of the tests, the provisions of the “Normativa de avaliación do rendemento académico dos estudantes e de revisión de cualificacións” will apply

Due to the elective character of this discipline, the classes are not exempted.

ON-SITE WORKING SESSIONS... 37.5 hours
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- Lectures or theoretical sessions........... 22.5
- Interactive or practical sessions ......14
- Tutoring .......................................1

STUDENTS' AUTONOMOUS WORKLOAD..... 37.5 hours
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- Individual study .............................31.5
- Other activities..............................2
- Literature reviews, library, etc........... 2
- Sitting exams................................. 2

TOTAL HOURS OF STUDENT’S WORKLOAD: 75

It is advisable to attend regularly to lectures as well as consulting the suggested literature.
Besides, it is advisable to attend to the tutorials in order to solve the questions that may arise while studying for the exam.
Teachers are available for any consultation by appointment