Dogfish Shark Skull
Active Learning Kit
Move your students’ learning beyond memorization with this active learning kit covering shark skeletal anatomy, cranial nerves, cranial muscles, jaw biomechanics, and more!
A moving model
Unlike a fixed specimen, this model moves. Thanks to 44 embedded magnets, your students will simulate complex motions such as jaw opening, jaw protrusion, and neurocranial elevation.
Color connections
And consistent color coding of the cartilages and cranial nerves will help your students connect each splanchnocranium element with its corresponding gill arch derivation and innervation.
Ready to use
Your students will start learning right away with freely available, open-source kit activity guides built around core concepts in anatomy, development, biomechanics, and evolution.
Customizable
Want to modify a module or create your own? All the activities are available as a free, open-source Google doc to give you the power to customize and share.
Beyond memorization
Each activity targets higher-order and active learning so that your students will be understanding, analyzing, and evaluating shark cranial anatomy, not just memorizing.
Kit pricing
We use volume-based pricing, so the more kits you order, the lower the price per kit! See the table below for the price per kit based on the total number of kits ordered.
Kits ordered / Price per kit
2
3
4
5
$359
$319
$279
$269
7
8
9
10+
$256
$254
$252
$249
The prices shown above include free shipping within the US. The price is the same for a color-coded or all-white kit and the volume-based pricing applies regardless of whether the kit is color-coded or all-white. Prices are subject to change.
How to order
We accept purchase orders (with payment by check or ACH) and payment by credit card. To get a quote, please email us at contact@3danatomystudios.com and let us know how many kits you’d like to order and how many you’d like color-coded vs. all-white. The current lead time for new orders is 4 months (i.e., your order will ship no later than 4 months after your order is received).
How to use this kit
Check out the video below for a demonstration of assembly and motion simulation with this kit (with and without muscles attached).
Kit components
Kit part checklist
Need to check that your kit has all of its components or order replacement parts? Download this two-page PDF with images and labels of all the kit components.
Branchial arches (color)
If you need to replace the branchial arches in your color-coded kit, just download this PDF and print it out on card stock paper.
Branchial arches (white)
For kits without color coding, download this PDF and print it out on card stock paper.
Updates to this kit
Next version
- Created a Kit Parts Checklist as a downloadable and printable PDF.
Version 1.1 (released March 14, 2024)
- Beveled the edges of all hooks, pegs and some of the letters on the 3D printed parts to reduce the number of sharp edges and corners.
- Increased width of all ligament peg bases to lessen the risk of them breaking off.
- Added graphical separation among constituent elements of branchial arches (pharyngo-, epi-, cerato-, and hyo-) in 2D paper cut-out.
- For the white version of the kit (not color-coded), removed the roman numeral labels from the brain model since the white version is typically used for student assessment.
- For the white version of the kit (not color-coded), replaced the multicolored pipe cleaners with white pipe cleaners to remove any color cues since the white version is typically used for student assessment.
- Created a quick demo video to show how to assemble the shark skull and simulate all the jaw motions with and without muscles attached.
How we made this kit
For more details on how and why we developed this kit, please see the video below.