Owl Pellet Dissection
Owl Pellet Dissection
Introduction
The owl like many other birds, swallow its prey whole. Many parts of an animal aren’t digestible, such as hair, feathers, bones, teeth, and the hard outer shells. The owl’s digestive system allows it to store these indigestible parts while letting the digestable parts pass through to the intestines. The owl then regurgitates the unwanted parts in the form of a pellet. An owl pellet is a roundish mass that is covered with fur. Bones and other hard remains are located within the pellet. After several hours after eating, the indigestible parts are compressed into a pellet. The pellet travels up from the gizzard back to the proventriculus and it will remain here up to ten hours before being regurgitated. Regurgitation often signifies that an owl is ready to eat again.
Owl pellets can provide evidence of the owl’s dietary habits and its role in its environment. Owl pellets have been used for scientific study of small mammals and their distribution. Since the owls are collecting, the scientist must locate the owls to obtain the pellets, and then study the skulls and bones of small prey living in an area. From these bones the prey species can be counted and identifies. These owls play in the role of limitating the population size of its prey. They prey species that is most plentiful in the area will be the species most likely to be captured and consumed by the owl.
References
Campbell W.R, Manuwal, D.A., & Harestad, A.S. 1987. Food habits of the common Barn-Owl in British Columbia. Can.J. Zool. 65:578-586.
Pechenik, J.A. 2013. A Short Guide to Writing About Biology. 8th ed. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston.
Introduction
The owl like many other birds, swallow its prey whole. Many parts of an animal aren’t digestible, such as hair, feathers, bones, teeth, and the hard outer shells. The owl’s digestive system allows it to store these indigestible parts while letting the digestable parts pass through to the intestines. The owl then regurgitates the unwanted parts in the form of a pellet. An owl pellet is a roundish mass that is covered with fur. Bones and other hard remains are located within the pellet. After several hours after eating, the indigestible parts are compressed into a pellet. The pellet travels up from the gizzard back to the proventriculus and it will remain here up to ten hours before being regurgitated. Regurgitation often signifies that an owl is ready to eat again.
Owl pellets can provide evidence of the owl’s dietary habits and its role in its environment. Owl pellets have been used for scientific study of small mammals and their distribution. Since the owls are collecting, the scientist must locate the owls to obtain the pellets, and then study the skulls and bones of small prey living in an area. From these bones the prey species can be counted and identifies. These owls play in the role of limitating the population size of its prey. They prey species that is most plentiful in the area will be the species most likely to be captured and consumed by the owl.
References
Campbell W.R, Manuwal, D.A., & Harestad, A.S. 1987. Food habits of the common Barn-Owl in British Columbia. Can.J. Zool. 65:578-586.
Pechenik, J.A. 2013. A Short Guide to Writing About Biology. 8th ed. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston.
References: Campbell W.R, Manuwal, D.A., & Harestad, A.S. 1987. Food habits of the common Barn-Owl in British Columbia. Can.J. Zool. 65:578-586. Pechenik, J.A. 2013. A Short Guide to Writing About Biology. 8th ed. Pearson Education, Inc., Boston.