As part of their study of Biodiversity of living things, 6th grade students at Cardinal Middle School had a visit from three permanent residents of the Lake Metro Parks Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center, a part of Penitentiary Glen Reservation. Wildlife staff member Rebecca Moseley showed students an eastern cottontail rabbit, a black rat snake, and a barred owl.
Students participated in a food web activity where they observed how webs are affected by changes in the ecosystem. Students also learned about the differences in physiology among the three types of animals. In the days that followed, students dissected owl pellets to find out what an owl’s favorite food is and where the owl lives based upon where the prey lived.
From the pellet contents, students could tell how healthy the ecosystem is. Since the contents of the pellets are rodents, the students studied the mammal skeleton, observing skulls and jawbones as well as joints such as ball and socket and hinges. Students compared a bird skeleton to a mammal skeleton to determine how they were similar and different.
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