The head-bashing heard round the world.
There’s not another animal that lives up to its name more than the ram. These animals never shy away from clashing their big horns together, and the two rams in this clip out of California are no exception. When it came time to settle a territorial dispute, they lowered their heads and went at each other at full speed.
This is actually a very common occurrence with rams, but rarely does it ever produce sounds as strong as the ones in this clip. When the horns bash together, the impact sends a distinct, gunshot-like bang bouncing around the Santa Rosa mountain range that surrounds them.
It’s shocking how loud the high-impact clink echoes through the rocky hillside, and it’s honestly incredible to hear it every time the two rams run at one another. The only thing that’s more shocking is how these cranium clashes barely phase these animals.
Rams mainly use their head and horns to protect themselves, and because these big horned creatures use them so often, they’ve actually adapted to be able to withstand such hits to their noggin. There’s actually a plethora of factors that contribute to the safety of the brains of rams. The animals are able to avoid concussions thanks to their increased skull thickness, the tighter fit of the brain cavity (which reduces brain shaking), and the fact that their brain is immobilized by fat that is built into their skulls.
Rams also impressively have control over their brain’s blood flow. All that means is that these creatures can prepare to take a hit by sending additional blood to their brains, which in turn inflates the blood vessels and creates a “bubble wrap” like effect. In other words, there’s a lot more than meets the eye for these rams to send these loud, echoing sounds through the Santa Rosa mountain range.
But it’s still cool to just drop everything else and watch this remarkable clip over and over again:
