How a Woodpecker's tongue shields its brain from 1,000 G-force impact

It is almost unbelievable: A bird banging its head against a tree 20 times a second with impacts of more than 1,000 times the force of gravity and taking flight as if nothing happened. No headache. No concussion. Not even a scratch. Such is life for woodpeckers, one of nature's toughest little animals.

You’d expect that kind of repeated impact to cause serious brain trauma in any animal, yet the woodpecker seems to defy biology. So what’s their secret? As it turns out, evolution handed them something remarkable: a built-in crash cushion cleverly disguised as part of their anatomy, their tongue, strangely, yes!

Nature’s crash helmetWhile most birds possess relatively normal tongue lengths, the woodpecker's is astonishingly long, so long that it will wind around its skull. Not hyperbole. Within a woodpecker's head, the tongue does stretch from the beak, curve back along the rear of the head, over the cranial crest, and can even extend close to the nostrils or eye sockets. Just imagine it as a coiled safety belt wrapped tightly around the brain.


But this special aspect isn't only useful in catching insects buried deep within tree bark. The tongue's primary function extends far beyond that. It serves as a biological shock absorber. When a woodpecker pecks at a tree, the impact energy doesn't bounce around in its head. Rather, the impact is taken by and dissipated through the wrapped tongue, serving to keep the skull stable in those heavy impacts.

Defying biology

This smart system prevents the woodpecker's brain from sloshing back and forth or colliding with the interior of its skull, the leading causes of concussions in people. Coupled with a thick, spongy skull, snug brain-to-skull relationship, and powerful neck muscles, the tongue is an important part of an efficient impact-protection system.

It's not only impressive; it's inspiring. Scientists and engineers have researched woodpeckers in hopes of utilizing similar principles for human safety equipment. Picture helmets or car crash systems that replicate this evolutionary trick, shock-absorbing layers that make our brains safer using nature's playbook.

So the next time you hear a woodpecker's fast-paced drumming in the woods, keep in mind: behind the ringing beat is a small but powerful piece of bioengineering. A bird that knocks its head against tree trunks thousands of times a day and never blinks an eye, all thanks to a tongue that performs more than sensing.