Owl Pellets
Dissecting owl pellets is a science experiment that is either super cool or grosses you out. In my experience, kids start off not wanting to dig into the gray, furry ball. However after they find the first bone, it’s all hands on deck. Grayson and Grant show you the bones they found in a pellet we discovered in our backyard in the video above.
Owls digest all of their prey except, fur, bones, and teeth. They cough up those items in a tight oval wad called a pellet. Generally, you can look under large tree limbs where owls might have been during the night and if you are paying attention, you can find pellets.
You can also order owl pellets for dissection and I have put a link in the resources below where we have ordered before. Many companies will also buy owl pellets from people who collect them. This might be a new job for one of your children that likes to hunt for them. I have put a link to the bone chart that we used in our experiment with the resources too. Have fun!
Resources for this lesson
Owl Pellet Bone Chart
Order your own own pellets
Owl research questions
Owl cut/paste/answer questions.