WHO WILL WIN?
Armadillo
GRUNT-SCRITCH
Penguin
HONK-HONK
THE SETUP

Armadillo vs Penguin

Armadillo
Armadillo
Penguin
Penguin

Pretend a armadillo and a penguin meet in grassland. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild armadillos and penguins would not meet. We still look at the facts.

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

Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus · A walking helmet that sometimes becomes a soccer ball.

Armadillo
Home
Americas grassland and scrub · Lives in North America / South America
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Armadillo is small.

Bug vacuum.

Nose-first.

Startle, ball up or bolt.

  • Armadillo is small and fast.
  • Insects, grubs, and the occasional small snack.
  • Warm country with soil soft enough to mine.

Family: Sloths and anteaters.

Corner B

Penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri · A tuxedo torpedo with zero quit.

Penguin
Home
Antarctic ice · Lives in Antarctica
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a big group
Size
Penguin is medium.

Torpedo fisher.

Underwater vision is the talent.

Tough about cold.

  • Penguin is medium and slow.
  • Fish, krill, and squid, caught in icy dives.
  • They huddle in storms so tight that the inside of the huddle is toasty.

Family: Other flightless seabirds.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.30 m

Armadillo to scale

Armadillo

1.20 m

Penguin to scale

Penguin

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

Armadillo6 kg

About as heavy as a small melon wearing a knight costume.

Penguin40 kg

About as heavy as a big bag of dog food, but much more dignified.

Armadillo

0.30 m · 6 kg

Armadillo is small. 6 kg.

Penguin

1.20 m · 40 kg

Penguin is medium. 40 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: Digging claws
  • Armor: Bony banded shell
  • Senses: Nose-first.

Armadillo · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Flipper slap + beak poke
  • Armor: Tuxedo blubber
  • Senses: Underwater vision is the talent.

Penguin · labeled field diagram

Armadillo80 psi bite
Penguin80 psi bite

Armadillo

Digging claws

Tool: digging claws. Bite: 80 psi.

Penguin

Flipper slap + beak poke

Tool: flipper slap + beak poke. Bite: 80 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Armadillo
48 km/h
Penguin
8 km/h
Armadillo48 km/h
Penguin8 km/h

Armadillo

48 km/h

Armadillo can go 48 km/h. That is fast.

Penguin

8 km/h

Penguin can go 8 km/h. That is slow.

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
ArmadilloPenguinBoth

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

Armadillo

This is home · Lives in North America / South America

Armadillo lives in places like grassland.

Penguin

Wrong place · Lives in Antarctica

Penguin's home is the antarctic ice, not grassland.

No. Wild armadillos and penguins would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Armadillo
Plants and meat · Bug vacuum.
Penguin
Meat · Torpedo fisher.

Armadillo

Plants and meat · Bug vacuum.

Insects, grubs, and the occasional small snack.

Penguin

Meat · Torpedo fisher.

Fish, krill, and squid, caught in icy dives.

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.

Armadillo
Lives alone
Penguin
Lives in a big group
Armadillo5 grit /10
Penguin7 grit /10

Armadillo

Lives alone

Startle, ball up or bolt. Grit: 5/10.

Penguin

Lives in a big group

Tough about cold. Grit: 7/10.

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?

Armadillo
4/10
Penguin
6/10
Armadillo4 brains /10
Penguin6 brains /10

Armadillo

4/10

Nose-first.

Penguin

6/10

Underwater vision is the talent.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Armadillo
Dasypus novemcinctus
Penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri

Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

Sloths and anteaters.

Penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri

Other flightless seabirds.

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?

Armadillo
Shell-Up Sprint
Penguin
Belly-Toboggan Escape

Armadillo

Shell-Up Sprint

First they jump straight up — a surprise pop.

Penguin

Belly-Toboggan Escape

When walking is too slow, an emperor penguin drops and slides.

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: Armadillo 0 · Penguin 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Armadillo runs first. Penguin does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Penguin is heavier. Armadillo uses digging claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Armadillo tries the Shell-Up Sprint. Penguin tries the Belly-Toboggan Escape. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Penguin!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Penguin wins. Penguin is a lot heavier. Armadillo 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: Armadillo 2 · Penguin 5 · ties 1.

Your card: Armadillo 0 · Penguin 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 · Penguin

Penguins in the Ross Sea. Formal wear, chaotic energy.

Francisco Ardini / PNRA · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

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