Abstract: Horns exhibit excellent impact resistance due to their unique tubular microstructure. This study draws inspiration from the microstructure of horns and designs a tubular structure. Based on 3D printing fused deposition technology, a horn-inspired tubular structure (HTS) was fabricated using chopped carbon fiber reinforced nylon composites. The impact test results show that there is a long high-load platform region in the impact force-displacement curve of HTS, which absorbs a large amount of impact energy at this stage. Compared with the un-biomimetic structure sample, the energy absorption of HTS sample increases by 143.9%, and the specific energy absorption value increases by 178.8%. The HTS impact finite element model was proposed, and the simulation prediction results are in good agreement with the experimental results of the impact response and crack propagation path, which verifies the validity of the model. Based on the analysis of the model, it is found that a large stress concentration is generated around the tube during the impact process, which deflects the crack and captures the crack, and re-initiates new cracks in other positions of the tube and expands toward the next tube. This process is repeated to absorb a large amount of impact energy. Finally, the influences of geometric parameters and material properties on impact energy absorption of HTS were explored based on the finite element model. This study explored the impact energy absorption characteristics and energy absorption mechanism of the horn-inspired tubular composite structure, which was of great significance for the design and manufacture of new impact-resistant equipment.