Discarded Knowledge: Unlocking the Secrets of Owl Pellets

What is it about?

We look at how the owl's pellet is produced and how the dissection and analysis of them are crucial to so many fields of study, including: entomology, mammalogy, ornithology, palaeontology and taphonomy, education and citizen science, botany and ecology; and finally, we tell how owl pellets, the discarded remains of a meal, themselves become a food source, serving as a snack for vultures. Although discarded in nature, owl pellets hide a host of secrets just waiting to be unlocked.

Featured Image

Photo by Cliff Johnson on Unsplash

Photo by Cliff Johnson on Unsplash

Why is it important?

After examining the process of how the owl's pellet is produced and expelled, we show that the dissection and analysis of these discarded packages not only relates to the diet and distribution of the owls themselves but unlocks vital data that is crucial to so many other fields of study.