in this video I will demonstrate the identification of the external anatomical features of the Sheep heart the first thing you should do is have your gloves dissecting kit and dissecting tray ready once you are given a sheep art by the instructor cut open the bag and remove it you can discard the bag in the trash rinse your heart and water thoroughly to remove as much of the preservative as possible also if you can run water into the large blood vessels to force any blood clots out of the heart chambers place the heart in a dissecting tray with its anterior surface up as shown some sheep art specimens will still have the pericardial sac attached the one I have here does not locate the visceral pericardium which appears is a thin transparent layer on the surface of the heart also note the abundance of fat along the paths of various blood vessels this adipose tissue occurs in the loose connective tissue that underlies the visceral pericardium holding the art with the apex down and the base up you'll notice the major external anatomical features of the anterior heart notice the left and right ventricles and the left and right atria between the atria and ventricles on both sides is the coronary sulcus since the heart is facing you the left is on your right and the right is on your left you can also see the anterior interventricular sulcus which is filled with fat if you remove the fat in there you can see the vessels that run through it you can also see the pulmonary trunk coming from the right ventricle and the a sending aorta and the brachiocephalic trunk coming from the left ventricle now turn your heart over in the tray so the posterior side is facing up you can still see the ventricles and atria but now the left is on your left and the right is on your right you can also see the posterior interventricular sulcus and the superior and inferior vena cava since these vessels both lead to the right atrium you can put a probe in one and have it come out the other