Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Does anybody know why a woodpecker doesn't get a headache?
Answers:
actually.. yes. hehehe
A new study came out about this last year - the guy who figured it out won several scientific prizes.
he was wondering why woodpeckers didnt suffer the same symptoms as babies with shaken baby syndrome (brain damage, detached retinas etc).
it has to do with skull anatomy which is extremely different to our and highly evolved for hammering.
among other things - it has extra cartelidge for shock absorption and the brain doesnt move in the skull cavity like ours, so it doesnt sustain damage from movement.
.
he's used to it cos that's his job
Their brains are cushioned by an extra thick layer of sponge-like material that does not allow the brain to move inside their skulls.
But, who knows, they might get headaches and just tough it out without taking anything for it. That is my guess, how could you bang your head against wood all day and not get one.
Several adaptations.. a speacial layer combine to protect the woodpecker's brain from the substantial pounding that the pecking behavior causes: it has a relatively thick skull with relatively SPONGY bone to cushion the brain; there is very little cerebrospinal fluid in its small subarachnoid space; the bird contracts mandibular muscles just before impact, thus transmitting the impact past the brain and allowing its whole body to help absorb the shock; and its relatively small brain is less prone to concussion than other animals'.
The Creator designed them that way.
lulu
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