Biologists say an unlikely event from literary history could actually have happened.

The idea that a sperm whale can use its massive head as a battering ram to sink ships has been hotly debated at least since Moby Dick was published in 1851.

Now, researchers say there may be some scientific evidence behind this dramatic plot point.

“The forehead of the sperm whale is one of the strangest structures in the animal kingdom,” says Dr Panagiotopoulou, an expert in the anatomy, bone biology and mechanics of large animals, including elephants and non-human primates.

“Internally, the whale’s forehead is composed of two large oil-filled sacs stacked on top of each other, known as the spermaceti organ and the junk sacs.

“The oil in the upper spermaceti organ was the main target of the whaling industry in the early 19th century.”

Male sperm whale heads are much larger than those of the females.

“Such difference between the sexes are commonly found in species in which males fight to compete for females,” Dr Panagiotopoulou said.

An international research team has been picking apart the Moby Dick tale.

They say that a 19th century whaler originally proposed the controversial hypothesis on the battering ram function of the sperm whale head.

“After a large male rammed and sank his ship in the Pacific in 1820, whaler Owen Chase described the whale’s head as admirably designed for this mode of attack,” Dr Panagiotopoulou said.

“The theory was instrumental in inspiring Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, but until our research, its mechanical feasibility had never been addressed.

“The scientific community received the ramming hypothesis with reluctance.

“This was mainly because the front part of the sperm whale head houses sensitive anatomical structures that are essential for sonar communication between whales, and they would be in harm’s way in a ramming event.”

It is well-known that the sperm whale head has an important role in transmitting sonar clicks and potentially assisting in communication and buoyancy, but there has been no explanation of how the sperm whale head could function as a weapon capable of sinking ships.

An interdisciplinary research team from Australia, the UK, the USA and Japan used structural engineering principles and computer models to test how the sperm whale’s head might withstand ramming impacts.

The research showed that whale ramming events could cause fatal fractures, but connective tissue partitions in the sperm whale forehead may function as a shock absorber.

“This mechanism is important to reduce impact stress and protect the skull from failure,” Dr Panagiotopoulou said.

She says these structures may have been formed by generations of whales using their heads as weapons.

“The mechanical advantage of the junk’s structure may be the result of selection and acquired traits related to male-to-male aggressive behaviour,” Dr Panagiotopoulou said.

“Male sperm whales may not fight frequently, but we know that aggressive ramming behaviour is a common characteristic in bottle nosed whales, killer whales, narwhales, pilot whales and the group of mammals from which whales are derived- the even-toed ungulates, such as goats.

“A closer look into the anatomy of the heads of other species that ram [such as monkeys and hippopotamuses] may reveal a variety of protective mechanisms.”

The research has been published in the journal PeerJ.

Biologists say an unlikely event from literary history could actually have happened.

The idea that a sperm whale can use its massive head as a battering ram to sink ships has been hotly debated at least since Moby Dick was published in 1851.

Now, researchers say there may be some scientific evidence behind this dramatic plot point.