Predatory Behavior of a Dragon

Question

EDIT: After reading a lot of great suggestions I've decided that these dragons will be a mix between warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. They stalk their prey and ambush them along well traveled paths or funnels. They do not chase and prefer to conserve energy. Thanks again.

I am working on a short story inspired by hunter/conservationist Jim Corbett. I am taking what I love from Corbett's tales and placing them in a medieval fantasy world where the protagonist hunts man-eating dragons and griffins.

My problem lies in the behavior of these dragons. How would they hunt? Would they stick to the reptilian fashion of waiting for prey to pass within striking distance? Or would they take a more mammalian approach and actively stalk and pursue prey?

These dragons have no supernatural element to them and are somewhere between 7 and 10 feet long with snake-like bodies, short legs and, of course, a set of wings. Their habitat is predominantly forested foothills littered with river valleys and agricultural land. Their eyesight and hearing is close to a human's, but their sense of smell is far better. They prefer to hunt between dusk and dawn.

Answer 1

How your dragons behave will largely be up to how they are built biologically, especially since there isn't a supernatural element. This is obviously up to you, but here is a quick rundown of the typical lifestyles of these types of animals based on organisms that actually exist (or used to exist).

Endothermic or Ectothermic?

Here's really your largest factor in terms of general behavior. Endo and ectothermic refer to how an animal gets its body heat, and, in general, this affects how they act. Think of your run-of-the-mill reptile for instance. Reptiles (for the most part if we aren't talking about anything extinct) are ectothermic, which just means that they get their body heat from an outside source. In reptiles, this results in an animal that is less active when the weather is cooler, which lends itself to a lifestyle of basking and waiting for prey to pass by, as you mentioned. Mammals, birds, and possibly non-avian dinosaurs however are (and were in the case of the dinosaurs) endothermic, meaning that they generate their own heat, which lends itself to a more active lifestyle.

Hip and Leg Posture

This may not seem all that important, but it really is. Many of the endothermic and active animals I mentioned early have a very particular hip structure, which allows them to stand directly upright (like a human being for instance). This stance gives them an advantage over animals with sprawled legs, allowing them to run faster and for longer. This would again contribute to a more active lifestyle.

Flight

The exact form of flight you want your dragons to use may also hint at a likely lifestyle for them. Birds (and likely the ancient pterosaurs of the Mesozoic) have extremely developed brains to help process the overload of information that comes with powered flight. Not only that, but powered flight takes a lot of energy and endurance, hinting at an endothermic animal (though there may be outliers). If your dragons have powered flight, I'd say its pretty likely that they would follow this trend. However, there are other avenues to take here. If you aren't as on board with an active lifestyle, two types of endothermic animals have also taken to the air: the draco lizards (Draco) and the flying tree snakes (Chrysopelea). Both of these groups of animals have developed "wings" made of ribs with specialized skin and muscle forming a sort of parachute that can be extended at will to glide between high places like trees. So, if your dragons need to be more inactive and able to fly or glide at the same time, "rib wings" might be perfect for their snake like builds, as long as they can find a high place to leap from.

In Conclusion

If your dragons are ectothermic and slink around on sprawled legs or glide on draco lizard like "rib wings", they would seem to be more likely to hunt in a less active fashion, striking out in short, quick bursts of speed. However, if your dragons are endothermic, with carefully controlled flight, then I'd say a more active mode of hunting, such as dive bombing or long distance running is pretty likely.

Answer 2

Carrion feeders

Reptiles love them some carrion, and wings are the perfect way to get around. Imagine your dragons as the world's biggest vultures, chasing mere birds out of the way and commandeering carcasses. This would work well in locations with a lot of meat on the hoof, like tropical grasslands, or along big herd migration routes.

Deep sea fishermen

If they are snake-like, then they might be able to swim as well as ... well ... sea snakes. This would give them the ability to scout out big shoals of fish. The advantage of being on wings means they can find sardines or anchovies before the sharks and tunas and other waterbound competition does. Once there they can dive and swim to get what they can. Especially if they attack in groups, they should have success herding the fish into schools and rounding them up.

Glide bombing

A good low energy attack method is to glide downwards at your prey, faster than your prey can move. From a great height, a dragon could spot a medium-large prey item on the open plains. Something not too big to knock to the ground, and not too agile. A horse or wildebeest would be about the right size. First, the dragon(s) would rouse the prey into running. Then, once they were running, each dragon (if more than one hunted in a group) would swoop down and try to tackle its prey from above. With a good dive speed, it could break the back of a horse and get its kill.

The dragons would want the prey running in a direction so they know which way to swoop. If a horse is stationary, it could bold in any direction at the last minute, ruining the attack. Also, I think the dragon would only get one shot at this. A horse's speed and stamina would probably take it out of range by the time a dragon got sufficient altitude for a second shot.