Hippo VS King Cobra
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Hippo vs King Cobra
Pretend a hippo and a king cobra 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.
Hippo
Hippopotamus amphibius · A floating boulder with kitchen-knife tusks.
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.
Family: Whales and dolphins!
King Cobra
Ophiophagus hannah · The tallest snake, with a hood like a warning sign.
Snake-eater with a stand-up hood.
Heat and chemical trail.
Alert, not cartoon-mean.
Family: Other cobras and mambas — the elapid family of front-fanged specialists.
SIZE & WEIGHT
Stand them next to a grown-up. Who is bigger and heavier?
1.70 m
Grown-up
1.50 m
Hippo
0.50 m
King Cobra
Height to scale. A grown-up is 1.7 m.
About as heavy as a small car, with a much bigger attitude.
Can stretch longer than a pickup truck, but no thicker than a grown-up's arm.
Hippo
1.50 m · 1,500 kg
Hippo is huge. 1,500 kg.
King Cobra
0.50 m · 7 kg
King Cobra is small. 7 kg.
Kilograms are honest. A small animal can still have a strong tool.
Who would you pick for size?
TOOLS
Teeth, claws, horns, venom, kick — what tools do they have?
Hippo · labeled field diagram
King Cobra · labeled field diagram
Hippo
Tusk-lined cave mouth
Tool: tusk-lined cave mouth. Bite: 1,800 psi.
King Cobra
Hood-high venom fangs
Tool: hood-high venom fangs. Bite: 100 psi.
A bite number is only one tool. Coils and kicks count too.
Whose tools would you trust?
SPEED
Who gets there first?
Hippo
30 km/h
Hippo can go 30 km/h. That is not very fast.
King Cobra
18 km/h
King Cobra can go 18 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
They meet in river country. Who is built for this place?
Meeting biome: river country. Colored land is where each animal actually lives.
Hippo
This is home · Lives in Africa
Hippo lives in places like river country.
King Cobra
Can handle it · Lives in Asia
King Cobra's home is the asian forests, not river country.
Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.
Who gets the home point?
FOOD
How do they get lunch?
Hippo
Plants · Grazer by night.
Hippos graze grass at night.
King Cobra
Meat · Snake-eater with a stand-up hood.
Mostly other snakes.
A plant eater is not 'safe.' Hippos and elephants still end arguments.
Whose hunting or defending helps more?
MOOD
Alone vs team. This rumble is one vs one.
Hippo
Lives in a herd
Famous for a short fuse in the river. Grit: 10/10.
King Cobra
Lives alone
Alert, not cartoon-mean. Grit: 8/10.
Pack and pride animals lose their backup in a 1-v-1.
Who is better for a solo meeting?
BRAINS
Who notices first and thinks next?
Hippo
5/10
Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.
King Cobra
5/10
Heat and chemical trail.
In the wild, brains often mean leave before it starts.
Who would you score for noticing?
FAMILY
Who are they related to?
Hippo
Hippopotamus amphibius
Whales and dolphins!
King Cobra
Ophiophagus hannah
Other cobras and mambas — the elapid family of front-fanged specialists.
Cousins are clues, not a score.
Not a fight point. Who has the wilder family story?
SPECIAL
What special move did they evolve?
Hippo
River Rage Charge
Hippos look chill in the water.
King Cobra
Wobble Venom Warning
One bite can make a huge animal feel wobbly and want a very long nap.
A secret move here is a real wild tool, not a video-game combo.
Whose special move would change the meeting?
Your scorecard
Tap who has each fact. Then tap who you think wins.
SIZE & WEIGHT
TOOLS
SPEED
HOME
FOOD
MOOD
BRAINS
SPECIAL
Your card: Hippo 0 · King Cobra 0 · still open 8
Who wins the meeting?
Keep going for the pretend meeting, then the science pick.
THEY MEET
Hippo runs first. King Cobra does not race. They wait in river country.
Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest
THE TOOLS SHOW UP
Hippo is heavier. King Cobra uses hood-high venom fangs. Nobody is keeping a gore score.
Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest
SPECIAL MOVES
Hippo tries the River Rage Charge. King Cobra tries the Wobble Venom Warning. Keep your card. The last page is next.
Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest
Hippo!
A STOMP
You skipped a final pick. The facts still stamp a champ.
On river country, Hippo wins. Hippo likes river country more. King Cobra 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: Hippo 6 · King Cobra 1 · ties 1.
Your card: Hippo 0 · King Cobra 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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