WHO WILL WIN?
Elephant
BRAAAAAMP
Capybara
CLICK-PURR
THE SETUP

Elephant vs Capybara

Elephant
Elephant
Capybara
Capybara

Pretend a elephant and a capybara meet in river country. 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

Elephant

Loxodonta africana · The walking earthquake.

Elephant
Home
African savanna and woodland · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives with family
Size
Elephant is giant.

Does not hunt.

Hears thunder through its feet.

Usually calm.

  • Elephant is giant and fast.
  • Elephants munch 150 kg of plants a day.
  • They roam huge distances and remember watering holes for decades.

Family: Mammoths (extinct) and, surprisingly, manatees way back in the family tree.

Corner B

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.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

3.2 m

Elephant to scale

Elephant

0.60 m

Capybara to scale

Capybara

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

Elephant6,000 kg

As heavy as a school bus. Yes, really.

Capybara50 kg

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

Elephant

3.2 m · 6,000 kg

Elephant is giant. 6,000 kg.

Capybara

0.60 m · 50 kg

Capybara is medium. 50 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: Ivory battering rams
  • Armor: Tank-thick hide
  • Senses: Hears thunder through its feet.

Elephant · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Chisel teeth
  • Armor: Pond camouflage
  • Senses: Eyes and nose just above the water.

Capybara · labeled field diagram

Elephant800 psi bite
Capybara200 psi bite

Elephant

Ivory battering rams

Tool: ivory battering rams. Bite: 800 psi.

Capybara

Chisel teeth

Tool: chisel teeth. 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?

Elephant
40 km/h
Capybara
35 km/h
Elephant40 km/h
Capybara35 km/h

Elephant

40 km/h

Elephant can go 40 km/h. That is fast.

Capybara

35 km/h

Capybara can go 35 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
ElephantCapybaraBoth

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

Elephant

Can handle it · Lives in Africa

Elephant's home is the african savanna and woodland, not river country.

Capybara

This is home · Lives in South America

Capybara lives in places like river country.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Elephant
Plants · Does not hunt.
Capybara
Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Elephant

Plants · Does not hunt.

Elephants munch 150 kg of plants a day.

Capybara

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

Grasses and water 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.

Elephant
Lives with family
Capybara
Lives in a herd
Elephant7 grit /10
Capybara4 grit /10

Elephant

Lives with family

Usually calm. Grit: 7/10.

Capybara

Lives in a herd

Chill social potato. Grit: 4/10.

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?

Elephant
8/10
Capybara
5/10
Elephant8 brains /10
Capybara5 brains /10

Elephant

8/10

Hears thunder through its feet.

Capybara

5/10

Eyes and nose just above the water.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Elephant
Loxodonta africana
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Elephant

Loxodonta africana

Mammoths (extinct) and, surprisingly, manatees way back in the family tree.

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Guinea pigs.

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?

Elephant
Trunk Sling + Trumpet Blast
Capybara
Splash Sit-In

Elephant

Trunk Sling + Trumpet Blast

The trunk has about 40,000 muscles.

Capybara

Splash Sit-In

When trouble shows, they take the water.

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: Elephant 0 · Capybara 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Elephant is heavier. Capybara uses chisel teeth. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Elephant tries the Trunk Sling + Trumpet Blast. Capybara tries the Splash Sit-In. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Elephant!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Elephant wins. Elephant is a lot heavier. Capybara 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: Elephant 7 · Capybara 1.

Your card: Elephant 0 · Capybara 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.

Also starring · Capybara

Victory yawn. Peak capybara. Nothing bothers this animal.

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

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