WHO WILL WIN?
Bison
SNORT-GRUNT
Hippo
HAAAWMP
THE SETUP

Bison vs Hippo

Bison
Bison
Hippo
Hippo

Pretend a bison and a hippo 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

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.

Corner B

Hippo

Hippopotamus amphibius · A floating boulder with kitchen-knife tusks.

Hippo
Home
African rivers and lakes · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Hippo is huge.

Grazer by night.

Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

Famous for a short fuse in the river.

  • Hippo is huge and not very fast.
  • Hippos graze grass at night.
  • They own the river.

Family: Whales and dolphins!

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

1.70 m

Bison to scale

Bison

1.50 m

Hippo to scale

Hippo

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

Bison700 kg

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

Hippo1,500 kg

About as heavy as a small car, with a much bigger attitude.

Bison

1.70 m · 700 kg

Bison is big. 700 kg.

Hippo

1.50 m · 1,500 kg

Hippo is huge. 1,500 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: Headbutt horns
  • Armor: Woolly snowplow
  • Senses: Smell and hearing across open grass.

Bison · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Tusk-lined cave mouth
  • Armor: Cannonball body
  • Senses: Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

Hippo · labeled field diagram

Bison200 psi bite
Hippo1800 psi bite

Bison

Headbutt horns

Tool: headbutt horns. Bite: 200 psi.

Hippo

Tusk-lined cave mouth

Tool: tusk-lined cave mouth. Bite: 1,800 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Bison
55 km/h
Hippo
30 km/h
Bison55 km/h
Hippo30 km/h

Bison

55 km/h

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

Hippo

30 km/h

Hippo can go 30 km/h. That is not very 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
BisonHippoBoth

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

Bison

This is home · Lives in North America

Bison lives in places like grassland.

Hippo

Not their home · Lives in Africa

Hippo's home is the african rivers and lakes, not grassland.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Bison
Plants · Grazer.
Hippo
Plants · Grazer by night.

Bison

Plants · Grazer.

Grass.

Hippo

Plants · Grazer by night.

Hippos graze grass at night.

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.

Bison
Lives in a herd
Hippo
Lives in a herd
Bison8 grit /10
Hippo10 grit /10

Bison

Lives in a herd

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

Hippo

Lives in a herd

Famous for a short fuse in the river. Grit: 10/10.

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?

Bison
4/10
Hippo
5/10
Bison4 brains /10
Hippo5 brains /10

Bison

4/10

Smell and hearing across open grass.

Hippo

5/10

Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Bison
Bison bison
Hippo
Hippopotamus amphibius

Bison

Bison bison

Yaks and cattle.

Hippo

Hippopotamus amphibius

Whales and dolphins!

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?

Bison
Prairie Freight Charge
Hippo
River Rage Charge

Bison

Prairie Freight Charge

They look like furniture.

Hippo

River Rage Charge

Hippos look chill in the water.

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: Bison 0 · Hippo 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Hippo is heavier. Bison uses headbutt horns. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Bison tries the Prairie Freight Charge. Hippo tries the River Rage Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Hippo!

A CLEAR PICK

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

On grassland, Hippo wins. Hippo is a lot heavier. Bison 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: Bison 2 · Hippo 6.

Your card: Bison 0 · Hippo 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 · Hippo

Baby hippo. Rain. The rumble can wait.

Giles Laurent · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA. Source

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