19025

Researcher Mark Goodwin’s conclusion that a hollow base to an animal’s horn greatly diminishes its strength, and hence its utility in defense or dueling, begs for an engineering analysis. In tension, compression, and torsion about the axis of symmetry, most of the strength of a cylindrical structure comes from the walls, not the interior. If the sides of the horn were subject to blows perpendicular to the horn’s axis of symmetry, a hollow interior could signify relative weakness.