Mess with the ram, you get the big ol’ curvy horns.
A Montana photographer by the name of Marianne Wiest was smart enough to stay out of this fight, but quick enough to capture it all on video. Some big horn sheep crossed paths in a Glacier National Park parking lot, and though we don’t know why they started fighting, there was clearly some bad blood between the rams from the get-go.
In the footage, two big horn sheep get running starts and clash their antlers at full speed. The clank that comes from the impact is shocking, and both rams step back after the initial blow to regroup. And who can blame them? That was one tough, wild version of the “Oklahoma Drill.”
One might assume that’s because they’re giving their brain some time to stop rattling around. However, since the animals mainly use their head and horns to protect themselves, big horn sheep have actually adapted to be able to withstand such hits to their noggin.
There’s actually a lot that contributes to the safety of the sheep’s brain. The spiral horned creatures are able to avoid concussions thanks to the tighter fit of the brain cavity (which reduces brain shaking), their increased skull thickness, and the fact that their brain is immobilized by fat that is inside their skulls.
Big horn sheep also impressively have control over their brain’s blood flow. All that means is that a sheep can prepare to take a hit by sending additional blood to its brain, which in turn inflates the blood vessels and creates a “bubble wrap” like effect. Now you can say you learned something today!
With all that being said, you can’t watch this and tell me that at least one of these rams didn’t have somewhat of a headache following this violent exchange:
I’m glad they don’t really feel that pain, because I know I feel like I can just by watching the clip.
Social media users that came across the video – which has now been liked by over 30,000 people – left some pretty funny commentart in the reply section below the post:
“I like that they just gotta sit there and reset for a moment after all that blunt force trauma.”
“Bro there’s plenty of parking.”
“He galloped into the head-butt and still lost.”
“I’ve always loved a good fight out in the parking lot.”
“Why do they act like this in public?”
