Question

Owls deal with indigestible parts of their meals by:

Select one:
a. wrapping the bones in hair before passing them through their digestive tract and out their cloaca
b. eating only the meat and not the bones and fur (selective feeding)
c. coughing the indigestible parts out of their mouth in the form of a pellet
d. grinding up the bones and fur in their gizzard before they pass through the digestive tract
e. none of the above

Answer 1

Owls expel indigestible parts of their food as pellets through regurgitation, a process that prevents damage to their intestines and allows efficient digestion.

Step-by-step explanation:

Owls handle indigestible parts of their meals by coughing the indigestible parts out of their mouth in the form of a pellet. Owls, as avian predators, consume their prey whole, including bones and fur that cannot be digested. In their digestive system, specifically the gizzard, these indigestible parts are trapped and not allowed to pass through the alimentary canal. This material is instead compacted into a pellet, which is then regurgitated through the mouth. This adaptation allows owls to extract maximum nutrition from their food while avoiding potential damage to their intestines from sharp bone fragments.

Owls deal with indigestible parts of their meals by coughing the indigestible parts out of their mouth in the form of a pellet. In the digestive system of birds, the gizzard is responsible for grinding up food, while the cloaca serves as the exit point for waste. The process of regurgitating pellets helps owls get rid of materials like bones and fur that cannot be digested.