Flying Contest

In Vietnam, an Aratus Pisonii crab, living on trees and feeding mostly on leaves, can change its color to match the color of the objects on which it perches, to blend in with the surroundings.

The crab's color changing capability comes from its body containing chemical uric acid melanins, which give the body the red, yellow and blue primary pigments, which when mixed together in different degrees, will give the crab's body the shades matching the object on which it perches. When on the ground, the crab turns dark brown, and when perching on a plant, it turns green. When the crab happens to crawl onto a red carpet, it turns red. It can turn to shiny metallic colors when it does disco dancing moves.

An Exocoetidae fish, Flying Fish having long wing-like fins, can fly. To change its flying direction, it must drop its tail into the water to push against the water to change direction. The fish cannot come straight down.

A dragon is a creature with a curious head with flamboyant details, its mouth capable of breathing fire, two horns, the body and neck of a snake, the forelegs of a tiger, the hind-legs of a stork, and the tail of a scorpion.

A dragon, a butterfly, an Aratus Pisonii crab, and An Exocoetidae fish are having a flying contest. The Contest Participants are to start out standing at the treetop of the 900 feet Redwood tree, tallest tree in the world, and fly down towards the ground. The first animal or insect having reached the ground in the shortest time will win the contest, provided that the Contest Participants don't let their bodies touch the ground when descending.

I fall asleep under the Redwood tree. A dragon, a butterfly and a Flying Fish approach me and ask me to be the referee for a Flying Contest.

The dragon, its protruding eyes flicking, soars into the sky and moves up and down in a curving line. It comes back down and flings itself around above my head, it curves up into a circle with its head and tail touching, alternately blowing out tongues of fire and spitting water to extinguish the fire. It sails through the air, bellowing and grunting and roaring, at times neighing like a horse, and hissing like a snake. It swishes by my face, splashing its stinky nose mucus on my hair. It jabs at my face with its split tongues. Then it sails along the ground, its long tail dragging against the ground.

The butterfly flits from one flower to another, feeding on nectar from the flowers and pollinating them.

The Flying Fish sails down to near the ground and then it glides through the air towards a puddle. It drops its tail into the water of the puddle, to push against the water to change direction. Then it flies back towards me.

The dragon hollers up the tree, "Crab, Do you want to fly down?"

The crab perches in the treetop looking dejected, saying, "Sorry I'd love to fly but I can't."

The butterfly says, "Yes you can!"

The crab scurries to the tip of a branch, but it freezes in place and stands motionless, looking at the ground with fear in its eyes.

Just then the wind rises, sending the crab flying down and landing on my head with a thump.

I reach my hand up and grab the crab, then Ibring the hand carrying the crab to in front of my face, glaring at the crab andsaying, "OK, now what? How about you watch where you're jumping next time. You landed on my head! But AratusPisonii Crab wins the Flying Contest."