WHO WILL WIN?
Boa
Sss-SQUEEZE
Ostrich
BOOM-KICK
THE SETUP

Boa vs Ostrich

Boa
Boa
Ostrich
Ostrich

Pretend a boa and a ostrich 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

Ostrich

Struthio camelus · The kick that thinks it is a dinosaur.

Ostrich
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives in a flock
Size
Ostrich is medium.

Grazer and bug-pecker.

Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.

Run first, kick second.

  • Ostrich is medium and very fast.
  • Plants, seeds, insects, and the occasional lizard.
  • Open country where those huge legs can actually use their speed.

Family: Emus, rheas, and other giant flightless birds.

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

2.7 m

Ostrich to scale

Ostrich

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

Boa15 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that learned yoga.

Ostrich140 kg

Taller than most grown-ups, and faster than a city speed limit.

Boa

0.25 m · 15 kg

Boa is small. 15 kg.

Ostrich

2.7 m · 140 kg

Ostrich is medium. 140 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: Dinosaur-leg kick
  • Armor: Long-range eyeballs
  • Senses: Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.

Ostrich · labeled field diagram

Boa120 psi bite
Ostrich50 psi bite

Boa

Constriction hug

Tool: constriction hug. Bite: 120 psi.

Ostrich

Dinosaur-leg kick

Tool: dinosaur-leg kick. Bite: 50 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
Ostrich
70 km/h
Boa4 km/h
Ostrich70 km/h

Boa

4 km/h

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

Ostrich

70 km/h

Ostrich can go 70 km/h. That is 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
BoaOstrichBoth

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.

Ostrich

Can handle it · Lives in Africa

Ostrich's home is the african savanna, 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.
Ostrich
Plants and meat · Grazer and bug-pecker.

Boa

Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

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

Ostrich

Plants and meat · Grazer and bug-pecker.

Plants, seeds, insects, and the occasional lizard.

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
Ostrich
Lives in a flock
Boa6 grit /10
Ostrich6 grit /10

Boa

Lives alone

Calm coil. Grit: 6/10.

Ostrich

Lives in a flock

Run first, kick second. Grit: 6/10.

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
Ostrich
4/10
Boa4 brains /10
Ostrich4 brains /10

Boa

4/10

Heat pits and a patient stare.

Ostrich

4/10

Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.

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
Ostrich
Struthio camelus

Boa

Boa constrictor

Anacondas and other boas.

Ostrich

Struthio camelus

Emus, rheas, and other giant flightless birds.

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
Ostrich
Sprint-and-Slash

Boa

Branch Drop Wrap

They hunt from perches.

Ostrich

Sprint-and-Slash

They do not bury their heads in sand.

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 · Ostrich 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Boa tries the Branch Drop Wrap. Ostrich tries the Sprint-and-Slash. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Ostrich!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Ostrich wins. Ostrich 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 2 · Ostrich 4 · ties 2.

Your card: Boa 0 · Ostrich 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 · Ostrich

That is a bird. That is also a sprinter.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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