Friday 5/1 Agenda

Learning Goal- Dissect an owl pellet and identify the bones found.

Task 1. Complete Owl Dissection Lab:

1. Work with your partners to measure the length, width, and mass of your owl pellet. Record the information on your lab document.
2. Dissect the pellet by first breaking a piece off with your finders. Roll it gently between your thumb and index finger, feeling for any hard substances. You can watch this video of an owl pellet dissection to get some tips.
3. Find a skull/jaw. Measure the length of the jaw in millimeters. Record your measurement on your lab document.
4. Separate the smaller bones from the fur or feathers. Use the Identifying Owl Pellet Contents chart to separate the bones into different categories. Record the information on the table in your lab document.
5. Answer all analysis questions on your lab document. Discuss each question with your group and work together to complete.

Task 2. Reconstruct a skeleton from your pellet and glue it on to colored construction paper. Sketch in the missing bones. See vole skeleton below for example:

Task 3. Ticket out: What surprised you about the owl pellet dissection?