WHO WILL WIN?
Alligator
BELLOW-CHOMP
Bison
SNORT-GRUNT
THE SETUP

Alligator vs Bison

Alligator
Alligator
Bison
Bison

Pretend a alligator and a bison meet in grassland. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

This is pretend and based on facts. Real animals usually hide or leave.

Read the facts. Make your card. The page waits to pick.

Corner A

Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis · A living log with a U-shaped grin.

Alligator
Home
American swamps · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Alligator is big.

Ambush from the float.

Night river hunter.

Looks like a log with a secret.

  • Alligator is big and not very fast.
  • Fish, turtles, birds, mammals — swamp buffet, all you can chomp.
  • Freshwater marshes and slow rivers.

Family: Crocodiles and caimans.

Corner B

Bison

Bison bison · A shaggy locomotive with horns.

Bison
Home
North American grassland · Lives in North America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Bison is big.

Grazer.

Smell and hearing across open grass.

Looks like furniture until it runs.

  • Bison is big and fast.
  • Grass.
  • Wide plains where a herd can rumble the ground like weather.

Family: Yaks and cattle.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

Stand them next to a grown-up. Who is bigger and heavier?

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.50 m

Alligator to scale

Alligator

1.70 m

Bison to scale

Bison

Height to scale. A grown-up is 1.7 m.

Alligator360 kg

Can stretch as long as a small car.

Bison700 kg

As heavy as a small car, with a haircut that never clocks out.

Alligator

0.50 m · 360 kg

Alligator is big. 360 kg.

Bison

1.70 m · 700 kg

Bison is big. 700 kg.

Kilograms are honest. A small animal can still have a strong tool.

Who would you pick for size?

TOOLKIT!

TOOLS

Teeth, claws, horns, venom, kick — what tools do they have?

  • Weapon: Trapdoor jaws
  • Armor: Osteoderm jacket
  • Senses: Night river hunter.

Alligator · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Headbutt horns
  • Armor: Woolly snowplow
  • Senses: Smell and hearing across open grass.

Bison · labeled field diagram

Alligator3000 psi bite
Bison200 psi bite

Alligator

Trapdoor jaws

Tool: trapdoor jaws. Bite: 3,000 psi.

Bison

Headbutt horns

Tool: headbutt horns. Bite: 200 psi.

A bite number is only one tool. Coils and kicks count too.

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Alligator
24 km/h
Bison
55 km/h
Alligator24 km/h
Bison55 km/h

Alligator

24 km/h

Alligator can go 24 km/h. That is not very fast.

Bison

55 km/h

Bison can go 55 km/h. That is fast.

A fast animal can miss. A slow one only has to connect.

Who takes the speed card?

HOME MAP!

HOME

They meet in grassland. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
AlligatorBisonBoth

Meeting biome: grassland. Colored land is where each animal actually lives.

Alligator

Not their home · Lives in North America

Alligator's home is the american swamps, not grassland.

Bison

This is home · Lives in North America

Bison lives in places like grassland.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Alligator
Meat · Ambush from the float.
Bison
Plants · Grazer.

Alligator

Meat · Ambush from the float.

Fish, turtles, birds, mammals — swamp buffet, all you can chomp.

Bison

Plants · Grazer.

Grass.

A plant eater is not 'safe.' Hippos and elephants still end arguments.

Whose hunting or defending helps more?

MOOD!

MOOD

Alone vs team. This rumble is one vs one.

Alligator
Lives alone
Bison
Lives in a herd
Alligator7 grit /10
Bison8 grit /10

Alligator

Lives alone

Looks like a log with a secret. Grit: 7/10.

Bison

Lives in a herd

Looks like furniture until it runs. Grit: 8/10.

Pack and pride animals lose their backup in a 1-v-1.

Who is better for a solo meeting?

PING!

BRAINS

Who notices first and thinks next?

Alligator
4/10
Bison
4/10
Alligator4 brains /10
Bison4 brains /10

Alligator

4/10

Night river hunter.

Bison

4/10

Smell and hearing across open grass.

In the wild, brains often mean leave before it starts.

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
Bison
Bison bison

Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Crocodiles and caimans.

Bison

Bison bison

Yaks and cattle.

Cousins are clues, not a score.

Not a fight point. Who has the wilder family story?

WILD CARD!

SPECIAL

What special move did they evolve?

Alligator
Gator-Gap Lunge
Bison
Prairie Freight Charge

Alligator

Gator-Gap Lunge

They wait like a stick.

Bison

Prairie Freight Charge

They look like furniture.

A secret move here is a real wild tool, not a video-game combo.

Whose special move would change the meeting?

YOUR SCORECARD

Your scorecard

Tap who has each fact. Then tap who you think wins.

  • SIZE & WEIGHT

  • TOOLS

  • SPEED

  • HOME

  • FOOD

  • MOOD

  • BRAINS

  • SPECIAL

Your card: Alligator 0 · Bison 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

Keep going for the pretend meeting, then the science pick.

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Bison runs first. Alligator does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Bison is heavier. Alligator uses trapdoor jaws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Alligator tries the Gator-Gap Lunge. Bison tries the Prairie Freight Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Bison!

A CLEAR PICK

You skipped a final pick. The facts still stamp a champ.

On grassland, Bison wins. Bison likes grassland more. Alligator would still win some meetings at home.

In the wild, most animals skip a fight. We still judge who the bodies and the place would favor.

Science card: Alligator 2 · Bison 4 · ties 2.

Your card: Alligator 0 · Bison 0.

The last page follows the whole animal — body plus home — not one bar chart.

Send this fight

A friend can read the same facts.

Victory lap · Bison

A good scratch after a hard rumble.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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