What a lovely question! Having spent quite some time watching sheep, I'm
not convinced that butting does not cause brain damage. However, a more
conventional explanation is that the frontal bone which supports the
horns and takes the impact during butting conflicts is not only thick,
but has an internal structure of sinuses (confluent cavities) separated
by trabeculae that form semi-rigid struts. The bone thus 'gives'
slightly on impact, dissipating the force of the impact and transmitting
very little of it through to the brain.
Terry O'Connor
***********************************
Prof Terry O'Connor
Department of Archaeology
University of York
Kings Manor
York YO1 7EP
http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/arch/staff/OConnor.htm
Editor, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/5488
-----Original Message-----
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pirkko Ukkonen
Sent: 08 September 2005 09:43
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] Bisons and rams
Hi,
A colleague asked me to send this enquiry to Zooarch, since her own
connection doesn't seem to work.
"Dear all,
I have got a question in Ask the Expert -pages in Finnish popular
science
magazine Tiede. The question is: Why head-butting bisons and rams don't
get
brain injuries?
I am not able to answer to this question. is it so that the bone is so
thick that it supperts head and brains properly? I guess someone on the
list knows the answer?
best wishes, Kristiina Mannermaa"
Dr. Pirkko Ukkonen
Research assistant
Lund University
Dept. of Archaeology and Ancient history
Historical osteology
P.O.Box 117
SE-221 00 Lund
Sweden
tel.: +46 (46) 222 36 20
email:[log in to unmask]
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