Variations

• Bones are made out of calcium, which can be found in different forms in many vitamins and antacids. Try putting some calcium vitamins and different brands of antacids into a vinegar solution. Do they react similarly to the vinegar as bone?
• Some vertebrate bones have special adaptations. For example, the bones of birds are hollow to make them lighter for flight. Closely examine the bone of a chicken and you will notice tiny chambers in the middle of the bone. Chickens don't really fly, but they still have remnants of this type of bone structure. Examine the bones of some other birds from the store: turkey, quail, Cornish hen, goose or duck. What similarities do they all have? How are they different?
• One way to really clean off a skeleton is to boil the bones and then soak the skeleton in bleach. Try doing this with a quail, Cornish hen or small chicken. Can you put the skeleton back together?