WHO WILL WIN?
Crocodile
SNAP-HISSS
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
THE SETUP

Crocodile vs Rattlesnake

Crocodile
Crocodile
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Pretend a crocodile and a rattlesnake meet in the desert. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild crocodiles 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

Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus · A living fossil with a trapdoor mouth.

Crocodile
Home
African rivers · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Crocodile is big.

Wait like a log.

Pressure sensors in the skin feel a ripple.

Explosive from zero.

  • Crocodile is big and not very fast.
  • Fish, mammals, birds — if it comes to the water's edge, it is on the menu.
  • They wait like logs.

Family: Alligators, caimans, and dinosaurs' old roommates, the archosaurs.

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

0.70 m

Crocodile to scale

Crocodile

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

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

Crocodile500 kg

Can stretch longer than a pickup truck.

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Crocodile

0.70 m · 500 kg

Crocodile is big. 500 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: The planet's hardest chomp
  • Armor: Bony osteoderm shield
  • Senses: Pressure sensors in the skin feel a ripple.

Crocodile · labeled field diagram

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

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

Crocodile3700 psi bite
Rattlesnake80 psi bite

Crocodile

The planet's hardest chomp

Tool: the planet's hardest chomp. Bite: 3,700 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?

Crocodile
32 km/h
Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Crocodile32 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h

Crocodile

32 km/h

Crocodile can go 32 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 the desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
CrocodileRattlesnakeBoth

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

Crocodile

Wrong place · Lives in Africa

Crocodile's home is the african rivers, not the desert.

Rattlesnake

This is home · Lives in North America

Rattlesnake lives in places like the desert.

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

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Crocodile
Meat · Wait like a log.
Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Crocodile

Meat · Wait like a log.

Fish, mammals, birds — if it comes to the water's edge, it is on the menu.

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.

Crocodile
Lives alone
Rattlesnake
Lives alone
Crocodile8 grit /10
Rattlesnake7 grit /10

Crocodile

Lives alone

Explosive from zero. Grit: 8/10.

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?

Crocodile
4/10
Rattlesnake
4/10
Crocodile4 brains /10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10

Crocodile

4/10

Pressure sensors in the skin feel a ripple.

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?

Crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox

Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

Alligators, caimans, and dinosaurs' old roommates, the archosaurs.

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?

Crocodile
Death-Roll Remix
Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap

Crocodile

Death-Roll Remix

If it grabs you, it spins.

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: Crocodile 0 · Rattlesnake 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Crocodile tries the Death-Roll Remix. Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Crocodile!

A STOMP

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

On the desert, Crocodile wins. Crocodile 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: Crocodile 6 · Rattlesnake 1 · ties 1.

Your card: Crocodile 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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