Biology
The Biomechanics of Woodpecker Cranial Shock Absorption and Foraging Strategy
Quick fact
Woodpeckers experience decelerations of about 1,200 g on each peck—forces that would cause severe brain injury in humans—yet they sustain no damage thanks to a clever combination of a spongy skull bone, a hyoid bone that wraps around the brain like a seatbelt, and a slightly asymmetric beak that shifts impact forces away from the brain.
Why this is interesting
A woodpecker can hammer its beak against a tree up to 20 times per second, with each impact decelerating its head at more than 1,000 times the force of gravity—yet it never gets a headache. How does it protect its brain from being scrambled?