WHO WILL WIN?
Capybara
CLICK-PURR
Elephant
BRAAAAAMP
THE SETUP

Capybara vs Elephant

Capybara
Capybara
Elephant
Elephant

Pretend a capybara and a elephant 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

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris · The world's chillest giant rodent.

Capybara
Home
South American wetlands · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Capybara is medium.

Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Eyes and nose just above the water.

Chill social potato.

  • Capybara is medium and not very fast.
  • Grasses and water plants.
  • Riverbanks where the whole friend group can soak and snack.

Family: Guinea pigs.

Corner B

Elephant

Loxodonta africana · The walking earthquake.

Elephant
Home
African savanna and woodland · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives with family
Size
Elephant is giant.

Does not hunt.

Hears thunder through its feet.

Usually calm.

  • Elephant is giant and fast.
  • Elephants munch 150 kg of plants a day.
  • They roam huge distances and remember watering holes for decades.

Family: Mammoths (extinct) and, surprisingly, manatees way back in the family tree.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.60 m

Capybara to scale

Capybara

3.2 m

Elephant to scale

Elephant

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

Capybara50 kg

About as heavy as a fifth-grader, shaped like a friendly ottoman.

Elephant6,000 kg

As heavy as a school bus. Yes, really.

Capybara

0.60 m · 50 kg

Capybara is medium. 50 kg.

Elephant

3.2 m · 6,000 kg

Elephant is giant. 6,000 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: Chisel teeth
  • Armor: Pond camouflage
  • Senses: Eyes and nose just above the water.

Capybara · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Ivory battering rams
  • Armor: Tank-thick hide
  • Senses: Hears thunder through its feet.

Elephant · labeled field diagram

Capybara200 psi bite
Elephant800 psi bite

Capybara

Chisel teeth

Tool: chisel teeth. Bite: 200 psi.

Elephant

Ivory battering rams

Tool: ivory battering rams. Bite: 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?

Capybara
35 km/h
Elephant
40 km/h
Capybara35 km/h
Elephant40 km/h

Capybara

35 km/h

Capybara can go 35 km/h. That is not very fast.

Elephant

40 km/h

Elephant can go 40 km/h. That is 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
CapybaraElephantBoth

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

Capybara

Can handle it · Lives in South America

Capybara's home is the south american wetlands, not grassland.

Elephant

This is home · Lives in Africa

Elephant lives in places like grassland.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Capybara
Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.
Elephant
Plants · Does not hunt.

Capybara

Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Grasses and water plants.

Elephant

Plants · Does not hunt.

Elephants munch 150 kg of plants a day.

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.

Capybara
Lives in a herd
Elephant
Lives with family
Capybara4 grit /10
Elephant7 grit /10

Capybara

Lives in a herd

Chill social potato. Grit: 4/10.

Elephant

Lives with family

Usually calm. 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?

Capybara
5/10
Elephant
8/10
Capybara5 brains /10
Elephant8 brains /10

Capybara

5/10

Eyes and nose just above the water.

Elephant

8/10

Hears thunder through its feet.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Elephant
Loxodonta africana

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Guinea pigs.

Elephant

Loxodonta africana

Mammoths (extinct) and, surprisingly, manatees way back in the family tree.

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?

Capybara
Splash Sit-In
Elephant
Trunk Sling + Trumpet Blast

Capybara

Splash Sit-In

When trouble shows, they take the water.

Elephant

Trunk Sling + Trumpet Blast

The trunk has about 40,000 muscles.

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: Capybara 0 · Elephant 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Elephant runs first. Capybara does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Elephant is heavier. Capybara uses chisel teeth. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Capybara tries the Splash Sit-In. Elephant tries the Trunk Sling + Trumpet Blast. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Elephant!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Elephant wins. Elephant likes grassland more. Capybara 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: Capybara 0 · Elephant 8.

Your card: Capybara 0 · Elephant 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.

Also starring · Capybara

Victory yawn. Peak capybara. Nothing bothers this animal.

Nesnad · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Source

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