What can You Find in Owl Pellets?

If you think back to your days in grade school, you probably remember doing some fairly interesting science experiments during rudimentary biology classes. One of the more memorable activities was the dissection of regurgitation from owls, as it provided a window into the diet and habitat of these majestic birds of prey. Today’s teachers may want to recreate this experiment with current students, which is when it’s time to turn to a company that offers owl pellets for sale like Pellet.com. Here are a few things that your pupils may find during their exploratory efforts.

Squirrel

More than 280 different species fall under the umbrella of this branch of the rodent family, and they can range in length from three to thirty inches. Depending on which animals are native to an owl’s habitat, you might only find the remains of these creatures in the pellets left behind by larger owls. Human beings might consider squirrels to be a nuisance, but to an owl, they can be a staple of a regular diet.

Kangaroo Rat

This small ground-dwelling creature gets its name from the oversized rear legs that mimic the appearance of the famous Australian animal. When dissecting a pellet, the bones of those hind appendages are a dead giveaway that the bird regularly feeds on kangaroo rats, which can also help students learn about the owl’s native habitat. Since this rodent is typically found in the western half of North America, you may be able to help the children deduce information about where that owl lives, which can in turn provide information about the potential avian species.

Rabbit

This creature is larger than the kangaroo rat, but it does share one characteristic: the oversized hind legs. Aside from the proverbially-lucky feet, the other feature to look for during a dissection is leftover cartilage from those emblematic floppy ears. This can be one of the more common things found in owl pellets for sale, as you can find at least one species in pretty much any location in the entire world.

Mole

These ground-burrowing rodents have evolved an ability to operate in low-oxygen environments like underground tunnel systems. Because they spend so much time below the dirt, it may not be the most common thing to find mole remains in an owl pellet, but a careful examination of a bone chart will confirm that this prodigious tunneler was on the owl’s menu.

Weasel

This creature feeds itself by preying on the eggs of birds and reptiles, which means that the owl serves an important function in the ecosystem by consuming these slender rodents. When your students find these remains during the dissection process, you’ll have a teachable moment to explain the food chain and how each animal fits into the process.

Time to Get Picking!

These are just a few of the animals that can be found in owl pellets for sale, but there are plenty of other creatures that could end up in the bird’s condensed regurgitation. When your students break into that first pellet, they’ll be amazed as the wonders of nature unfold before their very eyes.

Weston Barnes is a write and an avid reader. When he's not writing about business, marketing, health, pets, or relationships, he's immersed in his latest book.