Why do woodpeckers type forever but not ... headache?

By studying anatomy, scientists have found out why they don't have a headache after hitting the trunk about 12,000 times a day.

When flirting with mates, woodpeckers need to make more than 12,000 strokes a day. However, they are still 'awake' to conquer the enemy.

Ivan Schwab, a professor at the University of California Davis, is the one who answers this interesting question to win the Ig Nobel prize - the Nobel prize for the most suspicious interesting achievements in the scientific fields '. First laughs, and then forces people to think. '

Professor Schwab's research shows that woodpeckers have tapped hard surfaces up to 20 times a second with 1,200 times the force of gravity without suffering any tremors, with the retina not injured, the brain no problem.

The bird's body is designed with special details to minimize negative effects.

'If you get hit hard on your head, you can break the blood vessels behind the iris and damage the nerves in this area. So when I see the victims of a car accident and hear about the operation of woodpeckers, a big question comes to me as to why injuries do not happen to this bird, ' Schwab. said.

Woodpeckers use straight strokes such as names on the trunk of the tree, contributing to reducing the feedback force , avoiding shocking on the head. In addition, the bird's body is also designed with special details to minimize negative effects.

One millisecond before making a knock, the dense muscle mass in the bird's neck shrinks, while the eyelids are tightly closed making part of the released force down the neck muscles contribute to protecting the skull from the strokes. crashing.

The bones in the skull are compressed to form a protective cushion. At the same time, the tight eyelid helps the woodpecker to protect the eyes from wood splashes and keep the pupil fixed - to avoid the case of a strong impact force that can splash or deflect the pupil.

'Eyelids that act as safety belts on cars keep eyes away from the face. If not, accelerating forces can tear the retina , 'Schwab said. In addition, the outer part of the eye is also very firm and full of blood with the task of protecting the retina from being deflected.

The bird's brain is strong enough to be able to face head-to-head replacements. In humans, when there are injuries to the head, the brain will be hit and swayed in the medullary fluid. However, woodpeckers do not have this fluid, reducing the risk of injury.

In addition, the woodpecker's tail has sharp spikes to tighten the trunk of the tree when clinging. At that time, woodpecker woodpeckers clinging to the trunk, combined with the tail acts as a third leg to increase balance and certainty for the body when operating.