WHO WILL WIN?
Camel
GUUUURGH
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
THE SETUP

Camel vs Rattlesnake

Camel
Camel
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Pretend a camel and a rattlesnake meet in the desert. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

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

Camel

Camelus dromedarius · A desert ship with a surprise kick.

Camel
Home
Deserts · Lives in Africa / Asia
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Camel is big.

Browser of dry country.

Long lashes and sealable nostrils for sandstorms.

Stubborn desert athlete.

  • Camel is big and fast.
  • Tough desert plants other animals will not touch.
  • They can go a week or more without water, then drink enough to fill a bathtub.

Family: Llamas and alpacas — the fluffier mountain cousins.

Corner B

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox · A desert alarm clock with a noisy tail.

Rattlesnake
Home
North American deserts · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Rattlesnake is tiny.

Sit, rattle, strike.

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Would rather be left alone.

  • Rattlesnake is tiny and slow.
  • Mice, rats, rabbits — small warm snacks of the desert.
  • Rocks, brush, and sunny ledges where a coil can stay toasty.

Family: Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

1.80 m

Camel to scale

Camel

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

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

Camel500 kg

As heavy as a grand piano, plus a built-in lunchbox on the back.

Rattlesnake2 kg

About as heavy as a water bottle, louder than a snack bag.

Camel

1.80 m · 500 kg

Camel is big. 500 kg.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 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: Hump-powered kick
  • Armor: Sand-storm eyelashes
  • Senses: Long lashes and sealable nostrils for sandstorms.

Camel · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Hinged venom fangs
  • Armor: Rattle warning
  • Senses: Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

Camel250 psi bite
Rattlesnake80 psi bite

Camel

Hump-powered kick

Tool: hump-powered kick. Bite: 250 psi.

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. 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?

Camel
40 km/h
Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Camel40 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h

Camel

40 km/h

Camel can go 40 km/h. That is fast.

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

Rattlesnake 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 desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
CamelRattlesnakeBoth

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

Camel

This is home · Lives in Africa / Asia

Camel lives in places like the desert.

Rattlesnake

This is home · Lives in North America

Rattlesnake lives in places like the desert.

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Camel
Plants · Browser of dry country.
Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Camel

Plants · Browser of dry country.

Tough desert plants other animals will not touch.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Mice, rats, rabbits — small warm snacks of the desert.

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.

Camel
Lives in a herd
Rattlesnake
Lives alone
Camel6 grit /10
Rattlesnake7 grit /10

Camel

Lives in a herd

Stubborn desert athlete. Grit: 6/10.

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

Would rather be left alone. 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?

Camel
5/10
Rattlesnake
4/10
Camel5 brains /10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10

Camel

5/10

Long lashes and sealable nostrils for sandstorms.

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Camel
Camelus dromedarius
Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox

Camel

Camelus dromedarius

Llamas and alpacas — the fluffier mountain cousins.

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

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?

Camel
Spit Screen + Stomp
Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap

Camel

Spit Screen + Stomp

The 'spit' is mostly stomach juice.

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

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: Camel 0 · Rattlesnake 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Camel runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in the desert.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Camel is heavier. Rattlesnake uses hinged venom fangs. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Camel tries the Spit Screen + Stomp. Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Camel!

A STOMP · UNDERDOG

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

On the desert, Camel wins. Camel is a lot heavier. Rattlesnake 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: Camel 3 · Rattlesnake 4 · ties 1.

Your card: Camel 0 · Rattlesnake 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 · Camel

Zoo camels. The attitude ships free with the hump.

Zoo Ljubljana · Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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