Owl Pellet Dissection Kit

Learn about owls and the little critters they eat by doing an owl pellet dissection!

This hands-on owl pellet kit guides students through an owl pellet dissection. This complete kit comes with a large owl pellet (1-1/2" or larger), dissection tools, instructions, an identification key, and a bone sorting chart printable for bone identification. It has everything you need for an owl pellet dissection! Each large owl pellet is foil wrapped and dry heat sterilized.

This barn owl pellet dissection kit provides background information, teaching students about food chains and food webs! Examine the inside of an owl pellet to discover the indigestible parts (or bones) of the shrews, voles, and other critters that are eaten by barn owls. The included bone chart helps students to identify jawbones, skulls, and other bits and pieces that help them to further understand and define the different animals in a barn owl's food web. Owl pellet dissection is an engaging, hands-on life science experience for elementary, middle, and high school-aged students. It is a perfect activity to weave into your life science lesson plans - whether a homeschool parent, a school teacher, or any other kind of science educator.

The following questions might help you come up with a good science project: What does the number of different bones you found tell you about a barn owl's eating habits? (You might compare multiple pellets.) Can you construct a food chain for the barn owl? Or maybe you are simply interested in learning how to dissect owl pellets. Look for more info in our Owl Pellet Lab dissection project.

This kit is available for individual learning experiences, and our classroom owl pellet kit works for up to 30 students.

Safety Information: Our owl pellets have been dry heat sterilized for a minimum of 4 hours at 250°F to kill bacteria and viruses naturally present. Even so, we highly recommend that you follow these guidelines when working with owl pellets:

• Work in a place separate from eating and food preparation areas.
• Use disposable latex gloves or nitrile gloves during the dissection and cleanup.
• Use a disposable tray or plate to contain the owl pellet during dissection. Do not dissect directly on desks or tabletops.
• Use only dissection tools provided. Do not let children use pencils or other personal items for dissection. Kids like to use our economical plastic forceps to take apart the owl pellet.
• Use a sanitizer with paper towels or disposable sanitizing wipes to thoroughly wash hands, work areas, and any dissection tools when finished. Household bleach in a 1:10 solution can be used as a sanitizer.
• Make sure everyone thoroughly washes their hands with soap and water after the dissection and cleanup.

Owl Pellet Dissection Kit

• Owl Pellet, 1-1/2" or larger
• Plastic Forceps
• Wooden Probe
• Dissection Guide and Worksheet
• Dichotomous Identification Key
• Bone Sorting Chart