Re: The BatBlat

From: Oliver D. Bernuetz <bernuetz_at_...>
Date: Fri, 02 Apr 2004 18:20:20 -0000

Jeff & Joerg
>
> The wingspan should be no more than a kilometer. Maybe considerably
> less. Here's how I picture it: I imagine its body is the size of a
> squat skyscraper (say twenty or thirty stories) that has been
toppled
> over. With really huge wings. You can easy fit one hundred fifty
folk
> on top of that body - presumably on some massive howdah. Ballista
bolts
> just bounce off its hide or at best are pin pricks.
>

Sticking to a vampire bat's proportions a 1 km wingspan would result in a 225 meter long body/head combo. That's a 3280 foot wingspan and a 738 foot long body. So lets say that's like a 50 story building (~13 feet per storey) with wings. Holy crap! The Eiffel tower's 986 feet tall BTW.

For a 30 storey building (using the 4.4444444444444444) multiplier 

for wing to body/head size for a vampire bat it'd be 390 feet long with a 1733 foot wingspan OR 119 meters long with a 528 meter wingspan.

Either versions big enough to freak me out.

My source for vampire bat info is:

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Desmod us_rotundus.html

Oliver

OLiver