WHO WILL WIN?
Cheetah
CHIRRUP-ZOOM
Tortoise
HISS-HMPH
THE SETUP

Cheetah vs Tortoise

Cheetah
Cheetah
Tortoise
Tortoise

Pretend a cheetah and a tortoise meet in the island. 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

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus · The land-speed record in spots.

Cheetah
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cheetah is medium.

Sprint specialist.

Huge eyes, huge field of view.

A sprinter, not a wrestler.

  • Cheetah is medium and very fast.
  • They prefer gazelles and other speedy snacks they can outrun.
  • Open plains are a racetrack.

Family: Other cats, but cheetahs are the odd cousins who joined track team.

Corner B

Tortoise

Chelonoidis niger · A walking bunker that outlives arguments.

Tortoise
Home
Galápagos islands · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Tortoise is big.

Browser.

They feel footsteps.

Unbothered fortress.

  • Tortoise is big and slow.
  • Cactus, grass, and island plants.
  • Dry islands where going slowly uses less water and fewer bad ideas.

Family: Turtles and terrapins.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.90 m

Cheetah to scale

Cheetah

0.50 m

Tortoise to scale

Tortoise

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

Cheetah50 kg

About as heavy as a fifth-grader — and faster than the school bus.

Tortoise250 kg

As heavy as a grown-up, shaped like a helmet that learned to walk.

Cheetah

0.90 m · 50 kg

Cheetah is medium. 50 kg.

Tortoise

0.50 m · 250 kg

Tortoise is big. 250 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: High-speed trip claws
  • Armor: Tearaway lightness
  • Senses: Huge eyes, huge field of view.

Cheetah · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Beak ram
  • Armor: Dome fortress
  • Senses: They feel footsteps.

Tortoise · labeled field diagram

Cheetah400 psi bite
Tortoise200 psi bite

Cheetah

High-speed trip claws

Tool: high-speed trip claws. Bite: 400 psi.

Tortoise

Beak ram

Tool: beak ram. Bite: 200 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Cheetah
110 km/h
Tortoise
1 km/h
Cheetah110 km/h
Tortoise1 km/h

Cheetah

110 km/h

Cheetah can go 110 km/h. That is very fast.

Tortoise

1 km/h

Tortoise can go 1 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 island. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
CheetahTortoiseBoth

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

Cheetah

Not their home · Lives in Africa

Cheetah's home is the african savanna, not the island.

Tortoise

This is home · Lives in South America

Tortoise lives in places like the island.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Cheetah
Meat · Sprint specialist.
Tortoise
Plants · Browser.

Cheetah

Meat · Sprint specialist.

They prefer gazelles and other speedy snacks they can outrun.

Tortoise

Plants · Browser.

Cactus, grass, and island plants.

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.

Cheetah
Lives alone
Tortoise
Lives alone
Cheetah6 grit /10
Tortoise6 grit /10

Cheetah

Lives alone

A sprinter, not a wrestler. Grit: 6/10.

Tortoise

Lives alone

Unbothered fortress. Grit: 6/10.

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?

Cheetah
6/10
Tortoise
3/10
Cheetah6 brains /10
Tortoise3 brains /10

Cheetah

6/10

Huge eyes, huge field of view.

Tortoise

3/10

They feel footsteps.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
Tortoise
Chelonoidis niger

Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus

Other cats, but cheetahs are the odd cousins who joined track team.

Tortoise

Chelonoidis niger

Turtles and terrapins.

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?

Cheetah
Hundred-Kilo Zoom
Tortoise
Tuck and Outlast

Cheetah

Hundred-Kilo Zoom

0 to 100 km/h in about 3 seconds.

Tortoise

Tuck and Outlast

They pull in.

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: Cheetah 0 · Tortoise 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Cheetah runs first. Tortoise does not race. They wait in the island.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Tortoise is heavier. Cheetah uses high-speed trip claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Cheetah tries the Hundred-Kilo Zoom. Tortoise tries the Tuck and Outlast. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Tortoise!

A CLEAR PICK · UNDERDOG

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

On the island, Tortoise wins. Tortoise likes the island more. Cheetah 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: Cheetah 6 · Tortoise 2.

Your card: Cheetah 0 · Tortoise 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 · Tortoise

Armor, patience, and a very committed walk.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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