WHO WILL WIN?
Flamingo
HONK-HONK-PINK
Boa
Sss-SQUEEZE
THE SETUP

Flamingo vs Boa

Flamingo
Flamingo
Boa
Boa

Pretend a flamingo and a boa 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

Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus · A pink question mark with a secret temper.

Flamingo
Home
Lakes and lagoons · Lives in Africa / Europe / South America / North America
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives in a flock
Size
Flamingo is tiny.

Filter feeder.

They spot shallows and flock motion.

Social and noisy.

  • Flamingo is tiny and fast.
  • Shrimp and algae.
  • Salty, soda-like lakes where most animals would go 'no thanks.

Family: Other flashy wading birds, with a family tree scientists still argue about.

Corner B

Boa

Boa constrictor · A rainforest squeeze with a calm face.

Boa
Home
Central and South American forests · Lives in South America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Boa is small.

Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Heat pits and a patient stare.

Calm coil.

  • Boa is small and slow.
  • Rodents, birds, lizards — medium meals, no need to be famous about it.
  • Trees and forest floor.

Family: Anacondas and other boas.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

1.20 m

Flamingo to scale

Flamingo

0.25 m

Boa to scale

Boa

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

Flamingo3 kg

Light enough to mail (please do not) but taller than a kitchen counter.

Boa15 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that learned yoga.

Flamingo

1.20 m · 3 kg

Flamingo is tiny. 3 kg.

Boa

0.25 m · 15 kg

Boa is small. 15 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: Hooked filter beak
  • Armor: One-leg balance aura
  • Senses: They spot shallows and flock motion.

Flamingo · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Constriction hug
  • Armor: Saddle-pattern camo
  • Senses: Heat pits and a patient stare.

Boa · labeled field diagram

Flamingo20 psi bite
Boa120 psi bite

Flamingo

Hooked filter beak

Tool: hooked filter beak. Bite: 20 psi.

Boa

Constriction hug

Tool: constriction hug. Bite: 120 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Flamingo
50 km/h
Boa
4 km/h
Flamingo50 km/h
Boa4 km/h

Flamingo

50 km/h

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

Boa

4 km/h

Boa can go 4 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
FlamingoBoaBoth

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

Flamingo

This is home · Lives in Africa / Europe / South America / North America

Flamingo lives in places like river country.

Boa

Can handle it · Lives in South America

Boa's home is the central and south american forests, not river country.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Flamingo
Plants and meat · Filter feeder.
Boa
Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Flamingo

Plants and meat · Filter feeder.

Shrimp and algae.

Boa

Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Rodents, birds, lizards — medium meals, no need to be famous about it.

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.

Flamingo
Lives in a flock
Boa
Lives alone
Flamingo4 grit /10
Boa6 grit /10

Flamingo

Lives in a flock

Social and noisy. Grit: 4/10.

Boa

Lives alone

Calm coil. 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?

Flamingo
4/10
Boa
4/10
Flamingo4 brains /10
Boa4 brains /10

Flamingo

4/10

They spot shallows and flock motion.

Boa

4/10

Heat pits and a patient stare.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Boa
Boa constrictor

Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

Other flashy wading birds, with a family tree scientists still argue about.

Boa

Boa constrictor

Anacondas and other boas.

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?

Flamingo
Wing-Whoosh Retreat
Boa
Branch Drop Wrap

Flamingo

Wing-Whoosh Retreat

When trouble shows up, flamingos take the sky.

Boa

Branch Drop Wrap

They hunt from perches.

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: Flamingo 0 · Boa 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Flamingo runs first. Boa does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Boa is heavier. Flamingo uses hooked filter beak. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Flamingo tries the Wing-Whoosh Retreat. Boa tries the Branch Drop Wrap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Boa!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Boa wins. Boa is a lot heavier. Flamingo 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: Flamingo 2 · Boa 5 · ties 1.

Your card: Flamingo 0 · Boa 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 · Flamingo

One-leg lunch. Pink is a power color.

James Leon Young · Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

1/17 · scroll