That is to say, could they get enough forward thrust to push themselves along, without taking off? Maybe with like a little perch to hang onto…

  • LanternEverywhere
    link
    fedilink
    433 months ago

    There’s nothing in the laws of physics that precludes it. Skateboards can be extremely light and have ball bearings with extremely little friction. It’s not all that unusual for a strong breeze to make a board start rolling all by itself

  • Octospider
    link
    fedilink
    123 months ago

    I’m sure an eagle could even pick it up and fly away with it. I’ve seen eagles pick up mountain goats.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        73 months ago

        Surely you can see the energy required to pickup and fly with a skateboard is orders of magnitude greater than simply pushing the skateboard?

        • @[email protected]OP
          link
          fedilink
          43 months ago

          Yes, and that’s not the question I’m asking.

          I’m asking whether they could sustain forward thrust in a standing position, and without actually taking off.

          • lad
            cake
            link
            fedilink
            23 months ago

            Most likely, yes. If anything, a bird may stand in reverse and flap the wings in front of itself.

            But I would expect that its maneuver ability would allow it to do so in different ways ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      • lad
        cake
        link
        fedilink
        13 months ago

        To fit by size or by mass?

        That’s likely irrelevant, as rolling friction may be made quite low anyway

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    English
    13 months ago

    I reckon a Pelican would easily be able to get a skateboard rolling. I’m just now sure the best steps to proceed testing it.

    I’d try a skateboard at the top of a hill and see about getting a cockatoo to somehow get the board to roll under it’s own propulsion so it can sit back and enjoy a ride down a hill. That’d be the way I’d try if I wanted the bird to do it repeatedly.