General Question

Hobbes's avatar

What animal's heart looks most like a human's?

Asked by Hobbes (7371points) March 31st, 2010

Also, what would be the best way to purchase said animal heart, and how much would it likely cost? This is for a Theater production, by the way. =]

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

13 Answers

FireMadeFlesh's avatar

The heart, lungs and liver of a pig are the closest to a human. The best way to get some to dissect would be to contact your local butcher, because those organs are often discarded. Alternatively you could contact a pig farmer.

There have been heart transplants from pigs and baboons to humans, so I guess a baboon would be good too, although it is not as readily available.

Vunessuh's avatar

Pig heart resembles a human heart pretty accurately.

tb1570's avatar

Yeah, I gotta agree w/ the previous two answers. I’m pretty sure pig hearts were used in the first human heart transplants.

ucme's avatar

As Swarchzenegger would testify,he had a valve replaced with that of a pig.The Porkinator,grunt,grunt.

RandomMrdan's avatar

When I was growing up, I dissected a pig heart in health class because it was the closest looking heart to that of a human’s heart.

Pandora's avatar

I agree with Vunessuh and Fire. Its the only heart that I know of used for a transplant. Although I would think a monkey would be the most like ours. I guess it may be too small.

iphigeneia's avatar

Apparently you can order them online: http://www.carolina.com/product/young+scientist's+heart+dissection+kit.do?keyword=Carolina+Perfect+Solution+Pigs&sortby=bestMatches

Not sure how well it’ll keep for a whole run of shows, though.

slick44's avatar

@Pandora… good point, why a pig, and not a chimp?

Blondesjon's avatar

A brine shrimp.

It’s just waaay smaller.

mcsnazzy's avatar

A pig. In biology, we do fetal pig dissections because the parts are so similar to the human system.

scigod's avatar

Ask Dr Eugene McCarthy PhD in Genetics Species Hybridization for that answer. You won’t like it. But if you have an open mind, go to macroevolution.net.

scigod's avatar

The answer as to why a human heart more closely resembles a pig and not a primate.
http://www.macroevolution.net/human-origins.html

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