Owl Pellet Dissection

Why use owl pellets in your classroom?

Owls swallow their prey whole or in chunks and regurgitate pellets of undigested material, including bones and fur. Owl pellet dissection allows students to investigate and identify bones, compare and sort the skeletons of prey, and learn about the characteristics and habits of owls.

Owl Pellet Phases

Predation:
Consumes Prey Whole
Digestion:
Pellet Forms
Regurgitation:
Elimination of Indigestible Parts
Pellet:
Contains Indigestible Parts

Worksheets

Owl Pellet Dissection

Owls, like most birds, cannot chew their food and usually eat their prey whole. Most of the time, they do not separate edible parts of the prey from the inedible ones. However, when they have caught something that is too big to swallow whole, they will pick the animal apart before consuming it. Use the bone charts below to help identify what the owl has consumed.

Resources

Learn more about owl pellets

Explore resources including activities for every life cycle stage, suitable for every grade level.

Characteristics and Behavior of Owls

Owls are quite specialized predators, having eyes and ears designed to easily locate prey and unique feathers that enable them to fly almost silently. They hunt through the night, mainly consuming rodents and other small animals.
Learn More About Owl Behavior

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Owl Pellet Dissection

Learn how to categorize and identify the bones found in the pellet. Use a sorting chart to identify each bone, and if possible, identify the animal from which it came. 

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