Today we dissected owl pellets. An owl pellet is the indigestible items such as feathers, bones and fur. Owls eat small rodents like mice, voles and shrews. They rip apart their prey using their sharp beaks. They digest the meat and regurgitate the indigestible items in the form of a pellet. Regurgitating is like coughing. This is a behavioural adaptation for the owl.
We used sharp toothpicks to separate the bones and the fur. An identification chart was used to see what types of bones we collected. Some people found skulls, shoulder blades, jaws and hips! We had so much fun!
Here are some photos from this experience:
This is awesome !
ReplyDeleteAwesome pictures, thanks for sharing.
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