Teaching Page
Supply list:
1. owl pellets;
2. spray bottle of water;
3. paper plates (2 per student)
4. toothpicks;
5. clean table space and desks;
6. an assistant - this can be a responsible student.
Step 1: Preparation
Because they have been fumigated to kill the cloths moth, the owl pellets
should be allowed to "air out" for a few hours or overnight
in a well ventilated place that is away from cats or small children and
out of the weather. This will help to cut down the odor. The fumigant
is not harmful but someone could have an allergy to it. Mostly I find
it is the "idea" of touching owl spit that stops a student with
this project. Just moistening the pellets will increase the odor, so an
open window is a good idea.
Sometimes when teaching I get one or two students who cannot be persuaded
to participate. A suggestion is to have them research owls or birds of
prey, skeletons, clothsmoths, rodents or any subject that is related.
We are currently working to add related links on our home page to make
it more informative.
Step 2: Setup
Divide the owl pellets on the appropriate number of plates per student.
Spray them each at least twice so they can easily be torn apart by hand.
Place one toothpick per plate, then put the 2nd plate on top upside down
so as to hide the project. Keep the spray bottle handy for tough pellets.
Step 3: Basic Directions
Instruct students to work slowly to avoid breaking bones. Use one plate
to work from, placing clean bones without fur on the second plate.
Step 4: Pass out the pellets
It is advisable to walk around respraying tough pellets. Some will need
your help to get started so pull one or two bones out for them. Often
there is so much excitement that remaining seated becomes a problem, so
keep moving from student to student. One way to control younger children
is to tell them not to worry about what kind of bones they find, but how
many. Later you can work on bone identification.
Large bones such as skulls will easily be found. The owls typically crush
the back part of the skull and you will find many of these fragments.
Vertebrae and tail bones take a good deal of patience to find so younger
students shouldn't worry about them too much.
Step 5: Pass out bone charts
The bones can be placed on top of their respective images on the charts.
Sharing of parts should be encouraged at this time, especially skulls
and other major bones. Use common names for bones with the younger grades.
To review, or for work on another day, names should be written on the
plates. Plates can be stacked for storage.
Step 6: Advanced
Older students or skilled children for extra credit (or challenge) can
go on to this step. Accurate bone placement should be stressed at this
level. Finding bones of the same rodent is helpful. The vole is the primary
type you'll find. It is very difficult to find a complete rat or shrew
skeleton. You can use a basic magnifying glass to help with details for
bone identification. The final stage is to take tweezers and dip each
bone in a pool of glue, then replace the pellets on the bone chart.
To view our bone chart, please click here.
Most importantly, have fun!
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