When helmeted hornbills go to battle , they wield their elephantine heads as weapons in an airborne jousting contender . Diagramsreveal the calamitous outcomes that send one contender gyrate toward the land as the victor rises , but how do they smash up into each other without falling unconscious ? That ’s just what scientist have been render to find out .
As their common name would suggest , these birds are illustrious for their impressive headgear , fortify with an enormous bellying casque that ’s both ornamental and protective . Known to scientific discipline asRhinoplax vigil , the helmeted hornbill is a singular species from an donnish perspective as its giant helmet could excuse how they ’re able to bonk top dog in midair without it end in catastrophe for both parties .
“ As I learned more about this species , I discovered a mark - surgical incision of a dry skull in a museum , unveil a shameful trainwreck of trabecula [ inter - connected bony struts ] in the casque , ” said Dr Mason Dean , an Associate Professor of Comparative Anatomy at the University of Hong Kong ( HKU ) , in astatement . “ When I get wind that individuals are known to ram their casque together in mid - air displays , I just had to experience more about the functional word structure . ”
Just look at that thing.Image credit: ZakiFF / Shutterstock.com
The team used micro - CT to peer inside the casque and bring out the secrets of the hornbills ’ helmets . Their sample cover manful and distaff specimens , include ones with joint flexibility and a rhamphotheca ( the keratin case that covers the casque ) that can slide off , so they could get a really good look at a wide range of helmets .
The resultant role reveal that “ trainwreck of trabeculae ” were on ordinary as thick as those found inside an elephant ’s femoris . If this seems excessive , you ’re not wrong , as typically animal sizing corresponds to trabeculae heaviness , so the helmeted hornbill has really fill this trait and run with it – even Dean ’s socks were bump clean off .
“ I ’ve used micro - CT to await at a boastful diversity of animal skeleton , but I have never seen bony trabeculae like the ones we ’ve found in the hornbill . That massive bandstand of trabeculae then channels back to the brainpan , like a sheaf of banyan tree airscrew roots , converge on a bony platform that ’s far more reinforced than in other hornbills and congeneric we ’ve looked at , ” he say .
“Males butt heads in ‘aerial jousting’ at the speed of automobile collisions.”Image credit: Thipwan/Shutterstock.com
“ All of these anatomical feature article start to give a sense of how the skull of the helmeted hornbill is adapted to withstand one of the fastest known biologic impact , where males butt head in ‘ aeriform jousting ’ at the speed of automobile hit . ”
This knowledge also has virtual practical app . “ Understanding hornbill anatomy and how it allows for this jousting behavior can give us clue about this elusive fauna ’s environmental science and rudimentary aspect of its life history history and health , ” said Dean . “ Since hornbill operable anatomy is virtually unexplored , our findings will ideally also give new linear perspective on the bio - inspired aim of high up - performing composite plant for stick out terms from duplicate collisions . ”
While the helmeted hornbill ’s casque is its bang-up weapon , it ’s also its slap-up helplessness . These animals are the open ofindustrial - scale of measurement poachingthat has been spurred on by a rush in demand for " avian ivory " covet by some human beings , so the race is on to protect the species before they get wipe out despite being as strong – in some respects – as elephants ( which , by the style , are less athletic thanflying hippos ) .
Awareness is one step in the right-hand direction to protecting a lesser - known and noteworthy coinage , so we can all do our bit by shouting about the incredible talents of the helmeted hornbill ’s midair jousting , and that really singular casque .
This discipline is being present at theSociety for Experimental Biology Annual Conference in Pragueon July 2 - 5 2024 .
