# Serious question about coconuts **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** science-math\ **Created:** [April 13, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233 "2026-04-13T01:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/21 "2026-04-13T20:05:36Z")
That light, you’d almost think they could fly ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/22 "2026-04-13T20:12:39Z")
NASA’s space program has nothing on Mother Nature when it comes to lightweight structural engineering and powerplants. They are very, _very_ highly optimized critters. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/23 "2026-04-13T20:53:32Z")
They’ve had a LOT more time to get optimized. Let’s see how NASA does in 65 million years. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/24 "2026-04-14T02:14:40Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Eagles win; > > As a Giants fan, I’m sad. Easier if the coconut was partially deflated? ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/25 "2026-04-14T02:28:55Z")
You’re thinking of the Patriots… ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/26 "2026-04-14T02:34:21Z")
What if the coconut is filled with helium? ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/27 "2026-04-14T03:14:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Have you ever picked up a dead bird? It is remarkable and unforgettable what they don’t weigh. I’ve picked up plenty of dead chickens. They aren’t that light. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/28 "2026-04-14T03:22:33Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I’ve picked up plenty of dead chickens. They aren’t that light. The live ones don’t fly very well. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/29 "2026-04-14T04:37:25Z")
As God is my witness… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/30 "2026-04-14T12:15:36Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Have you ever picked up a dead bird? It is remarkable and unforgettable what they don’t weigh. > > I’ve picked up plenty of dead chickens. They aren’t that light. And adult ostriches are too heavy to even pick up without help. I get your point. Since I was responding to a comment about sparrows, I thought adding a “flight-capable” qualifier to my statement about birds was a tad too technical (read anal retentive) even for my usually over-verbose over-precise prose. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/31 "2026-04-15T01:29:23Z")
To be clear, chickens do fly (I’ve seen them do it), but they don’t fly well. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/32 "2026-04-15T01:30:09Z")
Bastards fly from my neighbour’s house into my garden and shit all over the place 😡 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/33 "2026-04-15T15:04:31Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Coconuts” is a movie by the Marx Brothers But the poster says “Coco **a** nuts”. I think it was about chocolate. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2026, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233/34 "2026-04-17T12:57:13Z")
Yeah, I’ve seen a red tailed hawk, which is a lot smaller than an eagle, carry a squirrel it had just killed up into a tree for a peaceful lunch. (I was in my car, in a parking lot, and for a moment i was afraid it was going to land on my windshield. The moment was memorable.) And I’ve seen bald eagles carry a fish to give to their young. I would have thought a coconut (about 7 pounds with the husk, per Wikipedia, but it varies) would be around the limit of what a large eagle could carry, but if you could somehow motivate the eagle, i think it could do it. Their talons are incredible strong. An eagle could easily grip the soft husk of a coconut. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-question-about-coconuts/1029233.md?page=1)