Owl Pellet Project Begins!

Yesterday we began our owl pellet study.  Owl pellets are amazing; they are the undigested remains of whatever the owl eats.  After swallowing their prey whole, the animals are mostly digested, but the owl then regurgitates the bones and fur.  Owl pellets can contain mole, vole, bird and shrew remains.  We started the lesson by watching some really amazing video footage of owls regurgitating pellets.  Next, we measured the pellets.  We measured the length, width and circumference and then weighed each pellet.  After that, it was time to unwrap them!  Students did observational drawings of the pellets and will begin dissecting the pellets in the next class.