WHO WILL WIN?
Cassowary
BOOM-RUMBLE
Alligator
BELLOW-CHOMP
THE SETUP

Cassowary vs Alligator

Cassowary
Cassowary
Alligator
Alligator

Pretend a cassowary and a alligator 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

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius · The rainforest's dinosaur that never left.

Cassowary
Home
Australian and New Guinean rainforest · Lives in Australia / Asia
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cassowary is medium.

Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Shy until cornered.

  • Cassowary is medium and fast.
  • Mostly fruit.
  • Dense rainforest where a tall dark bird can appear like a jump scare.

Family: Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

Corner B

Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis · A living log with a U-shaped grin.

Alligator
Home
American swamps · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Alligator is big.

Ambush from the float.

Night river hunter.

Looks like a log with a secret.

  • Alligator is big and not very fast.
  • Fish, turtles, birds, mammals — swamp buffet, all you can chomp.
  • Freshwater marshes and slow rivers.

Family: Crocodiles and caimans.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

1.70 m

Cassowary to scale

Cassowary

0.50 m

Alligator to scale

Alligator

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

Cassowary55 kg

As tall as a grown-up, with the attitude of a dinosaur that kept the costume.

Alligator360 kg

Can stretch as long as a small car.

Cassowary

1.70 m · 55 kg

Cassowary is medium. 55 kg.

Alligator

0.50 m · 360 kg

Alligator is big. 360 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: Dagger inner toe
  • Armor: Casque helmet
  • Senses: Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Cassowary · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Trapdoor jaws
  • Armor: Osteoderm jacket
  • Senses: Night river hunter.

Alligator · labeled field diagram

Cassowary20 psi bite
Alligator3000 psi bite

Cassowary

Dagger inner toe

Tool: dagger inner toe. Bite: 20 psi.

Alligator

Trapdoor jaws

Tool: trapdoor jaws. Bite: 3,000 psi.

A bite number is only one tool. Coils and kicks count too.

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Cassowary
50 km/h
Alligator
24 km/h
Cassowary50 km/h
Alligator24 km/h

Cassowary

50 km/h

Cassowary can go 50 km/h. That is fast.

Alligator

24 km/h

Alligator can go 24 km/h. That is not 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
CassowaryAlligatorBoth

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

Cassowary

This is home · Lives in Australia / Asia

Cassowary lives in places like forest.

Alligator

Not their home · Lives in North America

Alligator's home is the american swamps, not forest.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Cassowary
Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.
Alligator
Meat · Ambush from the float.

Cassowary

Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Mostly fruit.

Alligator

Meat · Ambush from the float.

Fish, turtles, birds, mammals — swamp buffet, all you can chomp.

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.

Cassowary
Lives alone
Alligator
Lives alone
Cassowary7 grit /10
Alligator7 grit /10

Cassowary

Lives alone

Shy until cornered. Grit: 7/10.

Alligator

Lives alone

Looks like a log with a secret. 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?

Cassowary
4/10
Alligator
4/10
Cassowary4 brains /10
Alligator4 brains /10

Cassowary

4/10

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Alligator

4/10

Night river hunter.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Cassowary
Casuarius casuarius
Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius

Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Crocodiles and caimans.

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?

Cassowary
Kick of the Lost World
Alligator
Gator-Gap Lunge

Cassowary

Kick of the Lost World

They jump and slash with both feet.

Alligator

Gator-Gap Lunge

They wait like a stick.

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: Cassowary 0 · Alligator 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Cassowary runs first. Alligator does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Alligator is heavier. Cassowary uses dagger inner toe. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Cassowary tries the Kick of the Lost World. Alligator tries the Gator-Gap Lunge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Alligator!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Alligator wins. Alligator is a lot heavier. Cassowary 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: Cassowary 2 · Alligator 3 · ties 3.

Your card: Cassowary 0 · Alligator 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 · Alligator

Log? Nope. Champ.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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