WHO WILL WIN?
Boa
Sss-SQUEEZE
Alligator
BELLOW-CHOMP
THE SETUP

Boa vs Alligator

Boa
Boa
Alligator
Alligator

Pretend a boa and a alligator meet in forest. 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

Boa

Boa constrictor · A rainforest squeeze with a calm face.

Boa
Home
Central and South American forests · Lives in South America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Boa is small.

Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Heat pits and a patient stare.

Calm coil.

  • Boa is small and slow.
  • Rodents, birds, lizards — medium meals, no need to be famous about it.
  • Trees and forest floor.

Family: Anacondas and other boas.

Corner B

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.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.25 m

Boa to scale

Boa

0.50 m

Alligator to scale

Alligator

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

Boa15 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that learned yoga.

Alligator360 kg

Can stretch as long as a small car.

Boa

0.25 m · 15 kg

Boa is small. 15 kg.

Alligator

0.50 m · 360 kg

Alligator is big. 360 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: Constriction hug
  • Armor: Saddle-pattern camo
  • Senses: Heat pits and a patient stare.

Boa · labeled field diagram

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

Alligator · labeled field diagram

Boa120 psi bite
Alligator3000 psi bite

Boa

Constriction hug

Tool: constriction hug. Bite: 120 psi.

Alligator

Trapdoor jaws

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

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Boa
4 km/h
Alligator
24 km/h
Boa4 km/h
Alligator24 km/h

Boa

4 km/h

Boa can go 4 km/h. That is slow.

Alligator

24 km/h

Alligator can go 24 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
BoaAlligatorBoth

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

Boa

This is home · Lives in South America

Boa lives in places like forest.

Alligator

Not their home · Lives in North America

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

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Boa
Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.
Alligator
Meat · Ambush from the float.

Boa

Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Rodents, birds, lizards — medium meals, no need to be famous about it.

Alligator

Meat · Ambush from the float.

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

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.

Boa
Lives alone
Alligator
Lives alone
Boa6 grit /10
Alligator7 grit /10

Boa

Lives alone

Calm coil. Grit: 6/10.

Alligator

Lives alone

Looks like a log with a secret. 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?

Boa
4/10
Alligator
4/10
Boa4 brains /10
Alligator4 brains /10

Boa

4/10

Heat pits and a patient stare.

Alligator

4/10

Night river hunter.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Boa
Boa constrictor
Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis

Boa

Boa constrictor

Anacondas and other boas.

Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Crocodiles and caimans.

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?

Boa
Branch Drop Wrap
Alligator
Gator-Gap Lunge

Boa

Branch Drop Wrap

They hunt from perches.

Alligator

Gator-Gap Lunge

They wait like a stick.

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: Boa 0 · Alligator 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Alligator runs first. Boa does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Alligator is heavier. Boa uses constriction hug. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Boa tries the Branch Drop Wrap. Alligator tries the Gator-Gap Lunge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Alligator!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Alligator wins. Alligator is a lot heavier. Boa 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: Boa 1 · Alligator 6 · ties 1.

Your card: Boa 0 · Alligator 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 · Alligator

Log? Nope. Champ.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

1/17 · scroll