Ms. Petusky's fifth grade science classes dissected owl pellets in order to learn more about food chains, predator-prey relationships, and owl digestion. The pellets are full of the indigestible parts (bones, fur, feathers) of their prey, so by dissecting them, students are learning what owls eat and where they live, and can even reconstruct prey skeletons to understand ecosystems and energy flow. It's an engaging way to teach ecology and biology concepts that are otherwise hard to observe.
