The size of the wings doesn’t really matter, because a human sized/massed animal can’t fly regardless of wingspan (in an atmosphere of the density that it has these days).
Quetzalcoatlus massed at least as much and more likely far more than a human. Of course, having a 30+ foot wingspan helps.
The issue I see isn’t so much one of weight and wingspan size as it is of muscle power. It takes a lot of power to pull wings down in the power stroke, and birds have more robust breastbones with more area for muscle attachment for it.
It’d be interesting to know just how much Meanna’s anatomy and physiology shift to account for a new form. In shifting to a bird form, do her bones lighten as birds do? Does the respiratory system become more refined to allow for the higher VO2 consumption of powered flight?
Well, ok, true; not that, exactly.
I was thinking of the weight-limit for continuous flapping flight (which is estimated to be 25-30kg for vertebrates *).
But I concede that (mostly) gliding might still be an option (Obviously a person with a hang-glider can fly well enough in that sense. And is also at least human-sized/massed :p )
I can’t say anything about her bones or VO2 consumption, but as she still has her arms, the wings don’t seem to attach to any existing point of her anatomy anyway. So maybe, she gets the extra-strong flying muscles as part of the transformation package.
Oh boy, I’m thinking that trying to fly is not going to be a good idea considering the amount of time it took for the mermaid transformation to end (I recon about 10-15 minutes).
And that’s putting aside the fact that those wings appear to be way to small in proportion to her body to be able to effectively lift her and the trial and error involved with figuring out how wings actually work. That is unless of course this comic is using wing physics in a similar way to maybe dragon wings, which also shouldn’t work in any way at all, but some how they do. Usually by magic, but as far as we’ve seen there’s no magic involved in this story (speculation about Meanna’s transformations may have occurred).
Not to mention that I doubt if a random stranger saw them they would just say “Hmm, a winged girl jumping off a roof, how bizarre” and then walk away. But I’m rambling about adorable fictional characters and crypto-physics so I’ll stop now.
On a side note, her mom is going to be p*ssed when she gets back home.
While the discussion of the mechanics is interesting, I’m thinking that, “It’s magic” is a large part of the in-world explanation.
Those wings seem long enough but not tall enough so i dont see those wings supporting her.
The size of the wings doesn’t really matter, because a human sized/massed animal can’t fly regardless of wingspan (in an atmosphere of the density that it has these days).
I wouldn’t say that, exactly.
Quetzalcoatlus massed at least as much and more likely far more than a human. Of course, having a 30+ foot wingspan helps.
The issue I see isn’t so much one of weight and wingspan size as it is of muscle power. It takes a lot of power to pull wings down in the power stroke, and birds have more robust breastbones with more area for muscle attachment for it.
It’d be interesting to know just how much Meanna’s anatomy and physiology shift to account for a new form. In shifting to a bird form, do her bones lighten as birds do? Does the respiratory system become more refined to allow for the higher VO2 consumption of powered flight?
Well, ok, true; not that, exactly.
I was thinking of the weight-limit for continuous flapping flight (which is estimated to be 25-30kg for vertebrates *).
But I concede that (mostly) gliding might still be an option (Obviously a person with a hang-glider can fly well enough in that sense. And is also at least human-sized/massed :p )
*)
I can’t say anything about her bones or VO2 consumption, but as she still has her arms, the wings don’t seem to attach to any existing point of her anatomy anyway. So maybe, she gets the extra-strong flying muscles as part of the transformation package.
The last panel is awesome.
5 bucks she goes to a field tries to fly, her wings disappear and she ends up with her face in mud :U
Oh boy, I’m thinking that trying to fly is not going to be a good idea considering the amount of time it took for the mermaid transformation to end (I recon about 10-15 minutes).
On a side note, her mom is going to be p*ssed when she gets back home.
You’ve already put more thought into this than I have.