The topic in Mike Caro’s science class at CVMS was evolution. His students were studying the adaptation of animals. The owl is a great example of this.

 

 

 

They did a deep dive into owls and the way they adapt to their environment. They have no teeth and must swallow their prey whole. They fly silently – they’re the only birds of prey with silent flight, adding to their capability of being stealth hunters. Their sense of smell is not the best. However, their hearing and sight are exceptional, allowing them to hunt at night. Owls can hear low-volume sounds up to 10 miles away.

 

 

 

The bones and beaks of rodents offer very little nutrition and are regurgitated into an owl pellet. The students in Mr. Caro’s classes each received an owl pellet to dissect. The pellet contained the bones of a rodent eaten by the owl.

 

 

The students removed the bones, studied them, comparing them to a chart with commonly-eaten owl prey to identify them. The students could, in some cases, actually reconstruct the rodent by placing the bones on a chart.