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A flying animal for humans to fly on?
Topic Started: Aug 6 2010, 03:57 PM (2,727 Views)
Dean
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Do you think an animal that humans can use to fly on could have evolved?

If so, what kind of animal would be the most suitable for this purpose and what divergence would a world containing this animal would need to take from ours, in order for this animal to evolve?


If humans began flying on this animal about the same time humans in our world started riding horses, how would this affected human history?


Obviously, this animal would need to be strong enough to achieve powered flight with an average adult human riding it, tame enough in it's undomesticated state that humans would even try riding one, and it would need to be at least as smart as a horse, or at least as smart as to co-operate with the human who rides it.

What are your ideas?
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colddigger
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Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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A flying critter large enough to carry a person is going to be spewing CO2 all over the place.
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Toad of Spades
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Pterosaur's had pretty strong flight. A giant pterosaur could possibly carry a jockey-sized person or smaller.
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Pando
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We could ge a giant bat, they have the pterosaur flight system.

But first we'd need to also give them a gas bladder, etc...
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Toad of Spades
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Bat wings are much weaker than pterosaur wings. Pterosaur wings are stiffened with fibers so they are more durable than bat wings. Also pterosaurs have an airsac system for breathing so they have very efficient oxygen intake. With hollow bones they are also very light for their size, so they aren't limited in size as bats are.

A giant azhdarchid would be a good choice for riding because of their strength they use for walking as well as springing off the ground into the air to fly. Also azhdarchidae pterosaurs are more adapted for more walking so it would be easier to transport.
Edited by Toad of Spades, Oct 7 2010, 01:57 AM.
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lamna
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Shame we don't have any.

And I never proposed colonising the Asteroid Belt to be pulled along by chickens. But while you're there you might as well.

Perhaps people could harness the power of geese with a harness and fly round in goose chariots. Like pod-racing but far safer, or at least with vastly different dangers. Geese naturally fly together so they might be able to do it.
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Yorick
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Quote:
 
Perhaps people could harness the power of geese with a harness and fly round in goose chariots. Like pod-racing but far safer, or at least with vastly different dangers. Geese naturally fly together so they might be able to do it.


Dude. You've gotta start writing screenplays.

Anyway, if we can breed a vicious wolf into a tiny Chihuahua after only few centuries, I don't see why I our ancestors couldn't have bred condors or some other large species or bird into a stronger and sturdier species for flight of we really wanted to.
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Empyreon
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Are you plausible?

Quote:
 
Also pterosaurs have an airsac system for breathing so they have very efficient oxygen intake.

Is there fossil evidence for those airsacs? If so, awesome!
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food for thought
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lamna
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Thinking it though, the chariot would have no breaks. If you find a way to get the geese to stop the chariot would not stop and crash. I guess you could fit a drogue, or maybe have wings and when you want to land jettison the geese's harness and glide down.

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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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Carlos
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Empyreon
Oct 7 2010, 02:00 PM
Quote:
 
Also pterosaurs have an airsac system for breathing so they have very efficient oxygen intake.

Is there fossil evidence for those airsacs? If so, awesome!
I'm not going to say whats in my heart right now, but you can get in touch with pterosaur paleobiology in both Tetrapod Zoology and pterosaur.net (note: there's a blog made by an ignorant dumbass who uses the name "pterosaur.net" - pterosaur-net.blogspot.com/ - do not really on it because the owner knows as much about pterosaurs as Mickey Mouse knows about quantum physics). So yes, they have air sacs on the wings.

Anyways, its worth to note that in Greek Mythology Apollo had a chariot pulled by swans. Maybe it could work?
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colddigger
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Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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Just shoot them when you want to stop and have yourself some goose.
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lamna
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When the oil runs out and we go back to using proper transport, I'm not letting you anywhere near my cavalry. Hope you're good at digging trenches and scavenging iron.

I wonder if you could pull a air-wagon with bees?
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Are nipples or genitals necessary, lamna?
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Toad of Spades
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You would need a way to get them all to fly in the same direction or they would just buzz around randomly. You would need alot of bees too, alot of bees.
Edited by Toad of Spades, Oct 7 2010, 05:18 PM.
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colddigger
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Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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Or just one really big one.
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Pando
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JohnFaa
Oct 7 2010, 03:24 PM
(note: there's a blog made by an ignorant dumbass who uses the name "pterosaur.net" - pterosaur-net.blogspot.com/ - do not really on it because the owner knows as much about pterosaurs as Mickey Mouse knows about quantum physics)
I remember that site. I went there when I needed a good laugh.
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Spugpow
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Sorry Pandorasaurus, but birds definitely do NOT have weak flight systems, and are certainly better adapted to flight than bats.
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