Frog Blood Smear Under the Microscope
Frog Blood Smear, Rana temporaria
This is a smear of frog blood stained with Giemsa. Frog red blood cells are large, oval, and have a nucleus, which makes them easy to see and good for comparing with human blood.
A blood smear preparation of frog blood (labeled Frog blood smear). The slide displays large, oval, nucleated amphibian erythrocytes (red blood cells) along with various white blood cells, illustrating characteristic non-mammalian vertebrate hematology.
What to look for
- Red blood cells: Large oval cells with pinkish cytoplasm and a dark purple oval nucleus in the center.
- White blood cells: Rounder cells with larger or oddly shaped nuclei, far fewer than red cells.
- Thrombocytes: Small cells with a nucleus that help blood clot.
At each magnification
Low power (about 4x)
A thin film of cells across the slide.
Medium power (about 10x)
Many large oval red cells, each with a dark nucleus.
High power (about 40x)
Details of the nucleus and the different kinds of white blood cells.
Questions and answers
What does frog blood look like under a microscope?
Frog blood is mostly large, oval red blood cells with a dark nucleus in the middle of each one. A few white blood cells and small thrombocytes are scattered among them.
How is frog blood different from human blood?
Frog red blood cells are oval, have a nucleus, and are much larger, roughly two to three times the length of a human red blood cell. Human red blood cells are small, round, and have no nucleus.
- Category
- Vertebrates
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- Giemsa
- Tags
- Frog blood smear, Frog blood, Frog blood cell smear, Rana temporaria, Rana, Amphibia
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