Basic Owl Pellet Study Kit

SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS / PROCESSES

• Dissect an owl pellet
• Identify prey species with illustrated worksheets
• Study food chains and feeding habits of owls
• Learn about animal skeletons

Students use illustrations to identify and classify the skulls and exoskeletons found in owl pellets. This kit is especially useful for lower grade students who are just learning about food chains and food webs.

Owl Pellet Study Kits

Owls are adapted to catch and kill small prey quietly and accurately. Because owls have weak stomach muscles and stomach acids, they regurgitate undigested materials as fur balls. These fur balls, called owl pellets, often contain the skulls, bones, teeth, and claws of mammals; beaks and claws of birds; exoskeletons of insects; insect larvae; vegetable fibers; and owl feathers. Sometimes hard parts of reptiles, amphibians, or fish are found.

These owl pellets can be effectively used to study the food web of a particular eco-region. All owl pellets in a kit are collected from a single region, sterilized, and individually wrapped.

Kits come complete for 30 students working as partners.

Contents List

• 1 Teachers Guide
  
• 30 Student Worksheets and Guides
  
• 15 Owl Pellets - Sterilized and individually wrapped
  
• 15 Probes