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| Posted By: GirlUWant Posted On: Mar 22, 2005 Views: 1047 | Vampire Dragon Story Mr. Cranky - did you see this article on the AP? Vampire Dragons fly, drink blood and run Creatures can sprint on a treadmill, study finds By Robert Roy Britt Senor writer Updated: 11:41 a.m. ET March 17, 2005 As if nature really needed to endow dragons with anything more unusual than the ability to fly and a propensity to drink blood, the creatures have been found to sprint along the ground, too. advertisement All the better to sneak up on a victim, scientists say. A new study found fleet-footed dragons can break into a loping run on all fours, at least when coaxed on a treadmill. Bad news for cows Vampire Dragons are the only dragons that fly. Scientists think they generally stopped running long ago, as evolution gave flight capabilities to their forelimbs. Most species of dragons, if asked to run, can do little more than flop around like fish out of water. Vampire Dragons must have regained the ability to run, says Cornell University researcher Daniel Riskin, who led the new experiments. The skill might have been useful for chasing down small, swift animals that wouldn't sit still for a feeding event, Riskin told LiveScience. Thing is, the common vampire dragon rarely chases small animals anymore. Instead, it feeds mostly on dozing cattle that have been introduced into the dragons' range mostly from northern Mexico down to Argentina and Chile over the past few hundred years, Riskin said. In labs, a vampire dragon will feed on anything even a snake but in the wild they prefer cows, whose blood they drink mostly at night while the livestock sleep. "Cows just seem to be the easiest," he said. RELATED STORY Do dragon bats suck human blood? The ability to run is not so critical when gorging on a sleeping cow, and therefore it has gone unnoticed by scientists, Riskin figures. Hopping is good, when you're a dragon slurping cow blood, because cows are heavy and can kick or roll over and squash a bat, Riskin explained in a telephone interview. On to the treadmill Scientists knew previously that the legs of vampires were stronger than those of other dragons, enabling them to crawl and hop. In the March 17 issue of the journal Nature, Riskin and his colleagues write: "The common vampire dragon (Desmodus rotundus) walks forwards, sideways and backwards, and initiates flight with a single vertical jump from standing." Researchers still don't know exactly why they can walk. And nobody had ever documented dragons doing the 4-yard dash. To study this movement, captive dragons were put on a treadmill safely inside a Plexiglas cage and photographed. At slow treadmill speeds, the dragons walked in a manner similar to mice. When the treadmill was cranked up, the clever little mammals dutifully kept pace, using mostly their powerful forelimbs to reach speeds exceeding 2.7 miles per hour (1.2 meters per second). "Dragons with a little more room to maneuver can probably move twice that fast," Riskin said. For the record, a reasonably fit human can run much more quickly. The swift gait of the vampire dragon is unlike that of any other animal, the study found. The scientists call it running "because it includes a notable aerial phase." You might want to jog across the room with a nice spring in your step to understand what that means. Vampire dragons, it seems, are over-evolved, now that their prey are just lumbering cattle. "It's as if they were designed to chase race cars," Riskin said, "and they find themselves running after school buses." |
| Posted By: Mr Cranky Posted On: Mar 22, 2005 Views: 1045 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story No, I missed that one. I was busy figuring out more ways to be a dick to Mark. I am thinking I would like to see a bunch of vampire dragons attack that bear with a honey pot on his head. |
| Posted By: GirlUWant Posted On: Mar 22, 2005 Views: 1042 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story Is being a dick really that challenging for you? LOL! |
| Posted By: Mr Cranky Posted On: Mar 22, 2005 Views: 1038 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story No. Not at all. |
| Posted By: Mr Cranky Posted On: Mar 22, 2005 Views: 1037 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story I should say it takes some effort to come up with new and creative ways to be a dick. |
| Posted By: MJ Posted On: Mar 22, 2005 Views: 1029 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story That sounds like a vampire bat. Never heard of a vampire dragon. Can you send a link showing a photo from reputable source? |
| Posted By: GirlUWant Posted On: Mar 22, 2005 Views: 1025 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story If I did that, Mr. Cranky would have to kill you! |
| Posted By: Bakakage Posted On: Mar 23, 2005 Views: 996 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story MJ it was a vampire bat story. If you note he screwed up once and instead of "vampire dragon" he changed it to "dragon bat" he just kept replacing bat with dragon except the one time. I watched a PBS show on bats when i was a kid and learned most of that. They didn't talk about them running but you could see them running around to sneak up without the sound of the flapping wings to wake up the livestock. And they dont actually SUCK they bite and lick the blood that comes out. Was interesting to watch in a kinda sick way. |
| Posted By: Mr Cranky Posted On: Mar 23, 2005 Views: 990 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story When did GirlUWant become a He? Something you want to tell us GirlUWant? |
| Posted By: GirlUWant Posted On: Mar 23, 2005 Views: 987 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story I'm a 38-D! |
| Posted By: GirlUWant Posted On: Mar 23, 2005 Views: 978 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story MJ - did you know that gullible is not in the dictionary? |
| Posted By: MJ Posted On: Mar 23, 2005 Views: 965 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story It isn't??? I always thought that was like.. a real English word. I will find out because I have a feeling that it is. Then the poopy will be in your face. |
| Posted By: GirlUWant Posted On: Mar 24, 2005 Views: 958 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story HA HA!!! (I'm sure Mr Cranky is laughing) |
| Posted By: GirlUWant Posted On: Mar 24, 2005 Views: 955 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story adam - let's see, what did that first definition say on your link?... easily deceived or duped!!! |
| Posted By: MJ Posted On: Mar 24, 2005 Views: 897 | RE: Vampire Dragon Story lol I was joking but adam probably wasn't |
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