Hammer growing new heads not attached to skeleton?

[TTipsyDragon]

So i have had this hammer for over a year now, and its the only lps in my tank that splits and does not grow vertical (this is a branching hammer). Today it actually split one head (full skeleton and everything) and dropped it. Any ideas why this is happening?

Heres the head in a cup which I glued onto a frag plug since its healthy

 

[Anna K]

Not an expert by any means, but it kinda looked like it was making a new hammer in general. Like dropping off the piece for it to grow up on it's own.

 

[TTipsyDragon]

Not an expert by any means, but it kinda looked like it was making a new hammer in general. Like dropping off the piece for it to grow up on it's own.

Thats what i think it did too, but I am wondering why its doing this instead of growing vertically like all my other lps.

 

[Reeferbadness]

Propagation strategy most likely. I have a 5 year old bi-color hammer that when i picked it up to do some fragging the bottom base skeleton very easily cracked and broke off - likely also the same strategy.

 

[TTipsyDragon]

Propagation strategy most likely. I have a 5 year old bi-color hammer that when i picked it up to do some fragging the bottom base skeleton very easily cracked and broke off - likely also the same strategy.

Beautiful tank! Yea the skeleton on this particular hammer has cracks on it running vertically so I figured maybe it just did not want to branch because of that?