Saturday, June 2, 2012

Owl Pellets


Owl Pellet Dissection


     Just say the word "Puke" and you can imagine the response from kids. Then tell them to examine it. At first they cry, "Ew" but as they realize what they are able to discover... you can't stop them! Their discussions and discoveries connect this concrete experience to the abstract book concepts.
Owls capture and eat prey, then the undigested materials are regurgitated in a pellet and usually drop to the ground. The bones, fur, teeth, and feathers reveal what the owl ate. Sterilized, dissected pellets arrive in classrooms, teaching students about food chains, the diet of owls, predator-prey relationships, anatomy and digestive/skeletal systems. Students create graphs and charts to display their findings. This is also tells us about the environmental conditions affecting, them and the impact of humans on this.






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