Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Dissection Techniques and Histological Sampling of the Heart in Large Animal Models for Cardiovascular Diseases
Published on: June 16, 2022
Comparative and Functional Anatomy of the Ectothermic Sauropsid Heart
J Matthias Starck1, Jeanette Wyneken2
1Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Planegg-Martinsried D82152, Germany.
Abstract:
The heart development, form, and functional specializations of chelonians, squamates, crocodilians, and birds characterize how diverse structure and specializations arise from similar foundations. This review aims to summarize the morphologic diversity of sauropsid hearts and present it in an integrative functional and phylogenetic context. Besides the detailed morphologic descriptions, the integrative view of function, evolution, and development will aid understanding of the surprising diversity of sauropsid hearts. This integrated perspective is a foundation that strengthens appreciation that the sauropsid hearts are the outcome of biological evolution; disease often is linked to arising mismatch between adaptations and modern environments.
Related Concept Videos
Anatomy of the Heart
Chambers of the Heart
Deoxygenated blood from the body is received in the right...
Development of the Heart
As the embryo undergoes lateral folding, these paired tubes approach each other, merging into a single primitive heart...
Specialized Characteristics of Cardiac Muscles
Cardiac muscle cells are smaller than skeletal muscles, averaging 10–20 mm in diameter and 50–100 mm in length. However, they have large energy demands for continuous contraction and relaxation. This energy is almost exclusively derived from aerobic metabolism of energy...
Conduction System of the Heart
The pacemaker cells are located in two primary nodes: the sinoatrial (SA) node and the atrioventricular (AV) node. The SA node pacemaker cells can autonomously depolarize, triggering an action potential that leads to the...
Location and Orientation of the Heart

