WHO WILL WIN?
Cougar
SCREAM-PURR
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
THE SETUP

Cougar vs Rattlesnake

Cougar
Cougar
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Pretend a cougar 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

Cougar

Puma concolor · The quiet jumper with a hundred nicknames.

Cougar
Home
Americas from mountains to swamp · Lives in North America / South America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cougar is medium.

Stalk and pounce.

Dawn-and-dusk eyes.

A loner with a plan.

  • Cougar is medium and very fast.
  • Deer are favorite.
  • The widest range of any New World mammal, from Canada to the Andes.

Family: Cheetahs and jaguarundis more than roaring lions.

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

0.75 m

Cougar to scale

Cougar

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

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

Cougar65 kg

About as heavy as a grown-up's suitcase that can jump a creek.

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Cougar

0.75 m · 65 kg

Cougar is medium. 65 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: Pounce and hold
  • Armor: Tawny vanish
  • Senses: Dawn-and-dusk eyes.

Cougar · labeled field diagram

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

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

Cougar400 psi bite
Rattlesnake80 psi bite

Cougar

Pounce and hold

Tool: pounce and hold. Bite: 400 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?

Cougar
70 km/h
Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Cougar70 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h

Cougar

70 km/h

Cougar can go 70 km/h. That is 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 the desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
CougarRattlesnakeBoth

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

Cougar

This is home · Lives in North America / South America

Cougar 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?

Cougar
Meat · Stalk and pounce.
Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Cougar

Meat · Stalk and pounce.

Deer are favorite.

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.

Cougar
Lives alone
Rattlesnake
Lives alone
Cougar7 grit /10
Rattlesnake7 grit /10

Cougar

Lives alone

A loner with a plan. Grit: 7/10.

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?

Cougar
7/10
Rattlesnake
4/10
Cougar7 brains /10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10

Cougar

7/10

Dawn-and-dusk eyes.

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?

Cougar
Puma concolor
Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox

Cougar

Puma concolor

Cheetahs and jaguarundis more than roaring lions.

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?

Cougar
Canyon Long Jump
Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap

Cougar

Canyon Long Jump

They can bound 12 meters in a single leap.

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: Cougar 0 · Rattlesnake 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Cougar tries the Canyon Long Jump. Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Cougar!

A STOMP

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

On the desert, Cougar wins. Cougar 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: Cougar 4 · Rattlesnake 0 · ties 4.

Your card: Cougar 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.

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