Abstract: The transparent specimens of skeleton and cartilage were made by double-staining technique with alizarin red and alcian blue to observe the morphological changes of cartilage development in young mice. The whole mice taken at the days of 1，3，5，7，9，15 were flushed to death and the skin, eyes, brain, internal organs and adipose tissue were removed. The bone was stained into red and cartilage into blue. The ossific process of costal cartilage was the most obvious as the mice grew; the ossification of epiphyseal cartilage plate at the end of long bone in the posterior limb and the cartilage in the hip were clearly to be observed. The ossific process of costal cartilage, articular cartilage in the posterior limb and the cartilage in the hip were revealed clearly.

Key words: mice; cartilage; development; morphology