WHO WILL WIN?
Giraffe
WHOMP
Hippo
HAAAWMP
THE SETUP

Giraffe vs Hippo

Giraffe
Giraffe
Hippo
Hippo

Pretend a giraffe and a hippo 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

Giraffe

Giraffa camelopardalis · A living watchtower with a killer kick.

Giraffe
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Giraffe is huge.

Browser, not hunter.

A living watchtower.

Shy until the legs come out.

  • Giraffe is huge and fast.
  • Giraffes nibble acacia leaves, tongues and all.
  • Their height is a lookout tower.

Family: Okapi — a forest cousin that looks like a giraffe-zebra remix.

Corner B

Hippo

Hippopotamus amphibius · A floating boulder with kitchen-knife tusks.

Hippo
Home
African rivers and lakes · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Hippo is huge.

Grazer by night.

Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

Famous for a short fuse in the river.

  • Hippo is huge and not very fast.
  • Hippos graze grass at night.
  • They own the river.

Family: Whales and dolphins!

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

5.5 m

Giraffe to scale

Giraffe

1.50 m

Hippo to scale

Hippo

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

Giraffe1,200 kg

Tall enough to peek into a second-story window.

Hippo1,500 kg

About as heavy as a small car, with a much bigger attitude.

Giraffe

5.5 m · 1,200 kg

Giraffe is huge. 1,200 kg.

Hippo

1.50 m · 1,500 kg

Hippo is huge. 1,500 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: Sledgehammer hooves
  • Armor: Ossicone helmet
  • Senses: A living watchtower.

Giraffe · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Tusk-lined cave mouth
  • Armor: Cannonball body
  • Senses: Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

Hippo · labeled field diagram

Giraffe20 psi bite
Hippo1800 psi bite

Giraffe

Sledgehammer hooves

Tool: sledgehammer hooves. Bite: 20 psi.

Hippo

Tusk-lined cave mouth

Tool: tusk-lined cave mouth. Bite: 1,800 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Giraffe
50 km/h
Hippo
30 km/h
Giraffe50 km/h
Hippo30 km/h

Giraffe

50 km/h

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

Hippo

30 km/h

Hippo can go 30 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
GiraffeHippoBoth

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

Giraffe

Can handle it · Lives in Africa

Giraffe's home is the african savanna, not river country.

Hippo

This is home · Lives in Africa

Hippo 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?

Giraffe
Plants · Browser, not hunter.
Hippo
Plants · Grazer by night.

Giraffe

Plants · Browser, not hunter.

Giraffes nibble acacia leaves, tongues and all.

Hippo

Plants · Grazer by night.

Hippos graze grass at night.

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.

Giraffe
Lives in a herd
Hippo
Lives in a herd
Giraffe5 grit /10
Hippo10 grit /10

Giraffe

Lives in a herd

Shy until the legs come out. Grit: 5/10.

Hippo

Lives in a herd

Famous for a short fuse in the river. Grit: 10/10.

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?

Giraffe
5/10
Hippo
5/10
Giraffe5 brains /10
Hippo5 brains /10

Giraffe

5/10

A living watchtower.

Hippo

5/10

Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
Hippo
Hippopotamus amphibius

Giraffe

Giraffa camelopardalis

Okapi — a forest cousin that looks like a giraffe-zebra remix.

Hippo

Hippopotamus amphibius

Whales and dolphins!

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?

Giraffe
Sky-High Neck Sweep
Hippo
River Rage Charge

Giraffe

Sky-High Neck Sweep

Necking looks silly until a 2-meter neck slams into you like a crane.

Hippo

River Rage Charge

Hippos look chill in 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: Giraffe 0 · Hippo 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Giraffe runs first. Hippo does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Hippo is heavier. Giraffe uses sledgehammer hooves. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Giraffe tries the Sky-High Neck Sweep. Hippo tries the River Rage Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Hippo!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Hippo wins. Hippo likes river country more. Giraffe 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: Giraffe 2 · Hippo 5 · ties 1.

Your card: Giraffe 0 · Hippo 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 · Hippo

Baby hippo. Rain. The rumble can wait.

Giles Laurent · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA. Source

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