Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are known for their dramatic head-to-head battles. But all that noggin-knocking has a cost, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City say: much like people who hit their head too often, the animals exhibit signs of brain damage, including an increase in phosphorylated tau protein.
“It seems like animals like muskoxen and bighorn sheep get traumatic brain injuries,” says Icahn evolutionary biologist Nicole Ackermans, who spearheaded the study published May 17 in Acta Neuropathologica. However, outside experts tell The Scientist that more research is needed to determine whether the findings truly indicate brain damage from headbutting.
Studies have found that athletes of sports such as soccer, football, and rugby who sustain blows to the head run the risk of developing brain injuries, especially when hits are repeated over time. Such injuries have also been linked ...
