Who Gives a Hoot: Owl Pellet Dissection

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Who Gives a HootOwl Pellet Dissection
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Goals for Today

• Learn background information and adaptations that
  make owls top level consumers.
• Successfully dissect, identify, and reconstruct
  the remains of owl pellets.
• Identify the relationship between diversity and
  stability.
• Understand the scientific implications of
  examining owl pellets.

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Background Information

• Barn Owls (Tyto alba) swallow small birds and
  rodents whole.
• Owls cannot digest bony material and hair of prey
  formation of pellet in gizzard.
• Pellets are coughed up between 12-20hrs after
  ingestion (avg. 2 per day).
• Owls have special adaptations allowing them to be
  a top level consumer.

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Owl Digestive System
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Barn Owl Hunting

• http//www.arkive.org/barn-owl/tyto-alba/video-08.
  html

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Owl Pellet Cough it up!
http//www.youtube.com/watch?vwaLiTmLr1nM
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Pellet Pics
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Dissection Directions

1. Safety first Put gloves on before unwrapping
   pellet.
2. Use dissection needles to loosen hair of pellet.
3. As you uncover bones set them aside on the black
   paper. Use the Bone Chart and Skull
   Identification Key to quantify and identify bones
   (answer questions 1 and 2 on handout).
4. 1 group member record findings in proper color
   column on board.
5. Attempt to reconstruct skeleton by gluing bones
   to black paper.
6. Answer the remainder of the questions on your
   group handout (3-9).

http//www.online-stopwatch.com/
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Who Gives a HOOT?

• Scientist study owl pellets in order to learn
  about the migration patterns of prey.
• Food Chain/Food Web
• Other reasons?

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Closing Discussion

• Each group member answer the closure question at
  the bottom of your handout.