WHO WILL WIN?
Capybara
CLICK-PURR
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
THE SETUP

Capybara vs Rattlesnake

Capybara
Capybara
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Pretend a capybara and a rattlesnake meet in river country. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild capybaras and rattlesnakes 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

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

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

0.60 m

Capybara to scale

Capybara

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

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

Capybara50 kg

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Capybara

0.60 m · 50 kg

Capybara is medium. 50 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: Chisel teeth
  • Armor: Pond camouflage
  • Senses: Eyes and nose just above the water.

Capybara · labeled field diagram

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

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

Capybara200 psi bite
Rattlesnake80 psi bite

Capybara

Chisel teeth

Tool: chisel teeth. Bite: 200 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?

Capybara
35 km/h
Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Capybara35 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h

Capybara

35 km/h

Capybara can go 35 km/h. That is not very 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
CapybaraRattlesnakeBoth

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

Capybara

This is home · Lives in South America

Capybara lives in places like river country.

Rattlesnake

Not their home · Lives in North America

Rattlesnake's home is the north american deserts, not river country.

No. Wild capybaras and rattlesnakes would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Capybara
Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.
Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Capybara

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

Grasses and water plants.

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.

Capybara
Lives in a herd
Rattlesnake
Lives alone
Capybara4 grit /10
Rattlesnake7 grit /10

Capybara

Lives in a herd

Chill social potato. Grit: 4/10.

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?

Capybara
5/10
Rattlesnake
4/10
Capybara5 brains /10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10

Capybara

5/10

Eyes and nose just above the water.

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?

Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Guinea pigs.

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?

Capybara
Splash Sit-In
Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap

Capybara

Splash Sit-In

When trouble shows, they take the water.

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: Capybara 0 · Rattlesnake 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Capybara runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Capybara tries the Splash Sit-In. Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Capybara!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Capybara wins. Capybara likes river country more. 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: Capybara 4 · Rattlesnake 4.

Your card: Capybara 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 · Capybara

Victory yawn. Peak capybara. Nothing bothers this animal.

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

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