Florida school district brings synthetic frogs to classroom for biology dissection

J.W. Mitchell High School in New Port Richey, Fla., became the first school in the world to dissect synthetic frogs last week. 

Students dissected 100 “SynFrogs” that were created by SynDaver, a Tampa-based synthetic manufacturing company that specializes in human and animal models for medical simulation.

“The SynFrog mimics the visual and textural properties of a live female frog,” the company said in a statement.

“The frog features a synthetic skeleton, synthetic muscles along with highly realistic synthetic skin and organs, including a reproductive system with eggs.”

According to ABC News, each frog costs $150 and can be reused.

The synthetic frogs don’t use any of the potentially harmful chemicals used on typical preserved frogs such as formaldehyde. PETA says that nearly 3 million frogs are killed a year for dissection purposes, ABC News reports.

We’re proud to have found a partner in SynDaver to bring this revolutionary new educational tool to life, replacing the outdated use of once-living frogs forever,” PETA Vice President of International Laboratory Methods Shalin G. Gala said in the statement.

“We look forward to schools around the world adopting this state-of-the-art technology that will not only save millions of frogs, but is a far more effective and safer teaching tool.”