How do diving gannets avoid breaking their necks when entering the water at speeds of nearly 100 km/h?

Plunge-diving gannets hit the water at speeds of up to 86kph – fast enough to do some serious damage if they were a human diver.

The bird’s long, slender neck may look like it would buckle on impact, but the muscles are arranged to lock the vertebrae in place before entry.

To the extent that gannets are theoretically capable of withstanding dive speeds of up to 288kph.

Other adaptations include a lack of external nostrils.

This prevents water from being forced into the head, and air sacs under the skin that cushion the seabird’s breast.

Watch hungry gannets performing death-defying, perilous

This article by Stuart Blackman was first published by Discover Wildlife. Lead Image: Diving gannet in the Shetland Isles. © Chris Gomersall/NPL/Getty.