WHO WILL WIN?
Boa
Sss-SQUEEZE
Penguin
HONK-HONK
THE SETUP

Boa vs Penguin

Boa
Boa
Penguin
Penguin

Pretend a boa and a penguin meet in the coast. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild boas 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

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

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

0.25 m

Boa to scale

Boa

1.20 m

Penguin to scale

Penguin

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

Boa15 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that learned yoga.

Penguin40 kg

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

Boa

0.25 m · 15 kg

Boa is small. 15 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: Constriction hug
  • Armor: Saddle-pattern camo
  • Senses: Heat pits and a patient stare.

Boa · labeled field diagram

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

Penguin · labeled field diagram

Boa120 psi bite
Penguin80 psi bite

Boa

Constriction hug

Tool: constriction hug. Bite: 120 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?

Boa
4 km/h
Penguin
8 km/h
Boa4 km/h
Penguin8 km/h

Boa

4 km/h

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

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 the coast. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
BoaPenguinBoth

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

Boa

Not their home · Lives in South America

Boa's home is the central and south american forests, not the coast.

Penguin

This is home · Lives in Antarctica

Penguin lives in places like the coast.

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

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Boa
Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.
Penguin
Meat · Torpedo fisher.

Boa

Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

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

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.

Boa
Lives alone
Penguin
Lives in a big group
Boa6 grit /10
Penguin7 grit /10

Boa

Lives alone

Calm coil. Grit: 6/10.

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?

Boa
4/10
Penguin
6/10
Boa4 brains /10
Penguin6 brains /10

Boa

4/10

Heat pits and a patient stare.

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?

Boa
Boa constrictor
Penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri

Boa

Boa constrictor

Anacondas and other boas.

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?

Boa
Branch Drop Wrap
Penguin
Belly-Toboggan Escape

Boa

Branch Drop Wrap

They hunt from perches.

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: Boa 0 · Penguin 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Penguin runs first. Boa does not race. They wait in the coast.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Penguin 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. 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 CLEAR PICK

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

On the coast, Penguin wins. Penguin likes the coast more. 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 · Penguin 4 · ties 2.

Your card: Boa 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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