These owl pellets come from the barn owl (Tyto alba) and were collected to help fund conservation efforts.

Paxton Gate's very own Owl Pellet Dissection Kit has everything you need to get an in-depth view of an owl’s diet and find some neat little remains. Unlike humans, owls regurgitate anything they can't digest. Since they don’t have teeth, they swallow their prey whole, and then their gizzard—a special part of their stomach—packs up the indigestible stuff into a pellet that they spit out later. Honestly, the idea of an owl with teeth is a bit off-putting, so maybe it’s better this way anyway.

Owls are very, very good hunters. They have special feathers that let them fly almost completely silently—that’s how they sneak up on prey without making a sound. And if you think that’s their only quirk, you’d be wrong.

Owls don’t have eyeballs—they have “eye tubes.” Unlike most eyes, theirs are shaped like tubes, which is why they can’t move them and have to turn their whole head instead. This, however, isn’t a disadvantage. Quite the opposite, actually. These unique eyes give them laser-focused depth perception, the ability to see extremely well in low light, and are perfectly evolved for their style of hunting: swoop in unheard from high above and snatch dinner out of the grass.

Point being—their pellets contain the remains of a day well spent hunting from the skies.

The pellets could contain hair, bones, teeth, claws, even bird beaks! Think of it as a natural piñata filled with tiny bits to add to your own curio collection. Just make sure to follow the dissection instructions—and definitely don’t treat them like real piñatas. Hitting these with a stick probably won’t get you much… other than a handful of broken bits.

• 1 magnifying glass
• 1 Pair of forceps
• 1 Paxton Gate dissection manual
• 1-3 owl pellets depending on which option you select

While it may seem a tad gross, it’s a fascinating look into one of nature's most accomplished predators. Plus, you’ll be really glad owls aren’t big enough to see us as prey. Seriously, that would be a Hitchcock nightmare come to life.