Scientists have long hypothesized that a spongy bone in the woodpecker’s skull cushions its repeated head slams like a well-designed safety helmet. But a new analysis shows the birds may be opting for power over protection.
There are plenty of reasons to bang your head against a wall these days. But if you do, maybe don’t look to the woodpecker for inspiration.
Scientists have long hypothesized that a spongy bone in the woodpecker’s skull cushions its repeated head slams like a well-designed safety helmet. But a new analysis shows the birds may be opting for power over protection. “Many studies heavily assume that there must be some sort of shock absorption—really because if we did something like that, we would need it,” says Thomas Roberts, a biomechanist at Brown University who was not involved in the research. “This study was really an advance because they put real data to the question.”
Whether digging for food, constructing housing, or luring mates, woodpeckers bang their heads into trees about 20 times per second. And then they go about their day.
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