Comments on: NSFRWE: Not Safe for Reading While Eating

By: Oceanus

Oceanus — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:18:48 +0000

ow I can be honest and say that it almost looked like dog poo after a dog has been eating a lot of bones!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:16:46 +0000

Become Young — Yeah, so I hear. And it’s recommended to microwave them first to kill all bacteria. Gloves, even better. Rat skulls? Um. Ew?

By: Become Young

Become Young — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:06:22 +0000

Nice post. I remember I actually used to dissect owl pellets as a kid. And they are really quite safe to handle, as long as you’re wearing gloves, and it’s pretty fascinating to see what owls in the area have been eating. It’s nothing at all like dissecting a pig or a frog. Of course, I think rat skulls are cool, so maybe we have different tastes.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:31:59 +0000

Wendy — No, no one guessed it exactly. As far as I know, I don’t have any readers who are also ornithologists.

Lee — Seriously. Then again, anyone who does that for a living probably loves their work and that’s a good thing. For them.

Grace — No, really. You get a prize. I’m trying to get my head above water. You’ll hear from me this weekend. And you’re right, having a woman science teacher years ago would have been unusual. Who knows. Maybe she steered some girls into science or medicine.

meleah rebeccah — Truly! And I’ll never blog about organic matter again. You can count on it.

earthtoholly — Ewww, I bet she would. Hey, if she’ll stick her nose into sand and root around without knowing what she might inhale, she clearly has no fear. I love Lucy!

By: earthtoholly

earthtoholly — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:03:11 +0000

Okay, that is quite nasty, though Lucy would probably find it to be a delicacy. I know…rrralph (

earthtoholly’s last blog post..We Should’ve Named You Sandy

By: meleah rebeccah

meleah rebeccah — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:31:36 +0000

OMG. That was truly disgusting!

By: Grace

Grace — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:27:08 +0000

I was only kidding but I'll be happy to have a prize. My HS bio teacher was a much older woman who was openly derisive towards the wussy boys. I suppose for that day and age having a female science teacher who was very supportive of girls who liked science was unusual. Grace’s last blog post..According to Dr. Spock

By: Lee (Tarheel Rambler)

Lee (Tarheel Rambler) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:16:26 +0000

Better owl pellets than rabbit pellets, I guess. At least the owl pellets haven't made the full journey through the digestive system yet. What I find even more disgusting is that there is a company that sells these things, and that people actually buy them. What do they do, stalk owls to get them? Now there's a career choice for you! Be the first on your block to tell your friends, "I'm a professional owl pellet collector." Lee (Tarheel Rambler)’s last blog post..On A Carousel

By: Wendy

Wendy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:45:53 +0000

Oh, you're right. That was kinda gross. Did anyone guess it? Wendy’s last blog post..Double Your Fun

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:06:57 +0000

Wynn — Well, in their defense, the frogs were already dead. Did you see ET? They wanted to make the kids kill them first!

cardiogirl — Yeah, shouldn’t they x-ray them first or something? That’s the stuff of nightmares. Although, since you have children, I’m sure they’ve brought you something equally disgusting at one point or another. Am I right?

Grace — All right. All right. I’ll email you and you can have your pick of prizes. That’s hilarious that boys fainted. Guessing none of them went on to become doctors.

Jenny — I don’t blame you. Ah, yes. Absorbed twins. I was going to suggest that in this post, but I was afraid someone might have actually had a parasitic twin. The chances would be one in a million, but you never know.

Daisy the Curly Cat — I’m so glad you have good tiny poops that don’t stink. Perhaps my cats should switch from Stinky Goodness to organs and bones and stuff? You know, because they have scary poops that smell. Was that TMI?

Sue — I won’t be getting too close to poop anytime soon. Although I have gotten close to pee once. See this classic post.

C.B. Jones — Ectoplasm was a good guess, and sort of in the ballpark. But I don’t know exactly what an ectoplasm is, since I’ve never seen Ghostbusters. I know, shoot me. I haven’t seen lots of classics.

Jenn Thorson — We have Heather to thank for teaching us all about regurgitated objects. She’s an egghead who’s working on her second Master’s Degree, though not in ornithology, thank God. I swear, the next What’s That will not be organic!

Maybe It’s a Guy Thing Trade Show Guru Steve — The first grade?!?! What they hell is wrong with your daughter’s school? I certainly hope she found the experiment as cool as you did. Or is she in therapy now?

Jeff — OK, OK. I promise the next one will be easier. That’s not saying much because so many still don’t get them right.

Lin — I’m sorry, but you just made me want to hurl. I think only you and Steve found it cool. No, I most certainly did not see your opossum dissection post. Do I dare go look for it?

Chris — I’ll make up for it next time. Maybe I’ll throw in a third prize. Like a real owl pellet. Are we good now?

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:19:51 +0000

I call "foul". How the hell were we supposed to guess "Owl Pellet"???? Make the game fair, dammit. Chris’s last blog post..The Dorks of Summer

By: Lin

Lin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:45:36 +0000

Am I the only one here who thinks this is a great find???! I do!! I love dissecting owl pellets--and no, they are not gross. It's all dried up and not smelly or anything. You just sort of pull out the hair and stuff, collect the bones, and if you are really lucky, you can find a complete jawbone or skull intact. They you can determine what your owl friend has been eating. When they dissect these at schools, they sterilize them, so don't be all girly and screamy and stuff. Geesh, you all are a bunch of sissies. Did you all miss my post on dissecting opossum poo?? Sigh. I guess it's just me, Ratty, and Sharkbytes who appreciate nature's coolness. Lin’s last blog post..Rivets and Bolts

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:34:29 +0000

Well then... that's just plain old not fair. We expect that these pictures are taken by you and not something that only hornedowlgists would know about. Not that I've ever gotten one of your "easy" ones either... but still. Jeff’s last blog post..Dear Children: It wasn't what you think... and no, we will not pay for therapy

By: steve, trade show guru

steve, trade show guru — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:37:55 +0000

hi Kathy,
Thanks for the warning, but I think it’s cool!
My daughter had to “dissect” an owl pellet last year in first grade as a class project. I think her teacher got the pellets off of the internet. Anyway, I thought it was cool trying to guess what the different bone fragments were (she brought the pellet home to do it). Maybe it’s a guy thing. Steve, the trade show guru

steve, trade show guru’s last blog post..Does Blogging Regularity Matter?

By: Jenn Thorson

Jenn Thorson — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:15:07 +0000

Criminy- The Junk Drawer ain't just fer laughin', it's fer learnin', too. I did not know about owl pellets. Which makes me feel all the better for once again totally not guessing the What's That. Woo-hoo!!! Jenn Thorson’s last blog post..Who You Gonna Call? Dustbusters!