WHO WILL WIN?
Hyena
WHOOP-HAHA
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
THE SETUP

Hyena vs Rattlesnake

Hyena
Hyena
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Pretend a hyena and a rattlesnake meet in grassland. 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

Hyena

Crocuta crocuta · The bone-crunching comedian of the savanna.

Hyena
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Hunts with a pack
Size
Hyena is medium.

Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

Bold in a clan.

  • Hyena is medium and fast.
  • They hunt more than they scavenge.
  • Open grassland where clans can hear each other across the night.

Family: Not dogs.

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

0.85 m

Hyena to scale

Hyena

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

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

Hyena70 kg

About as heavy as a big dog that skipped every 'drop it' lesson.

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Hyena

0.85 m · 70 kg

Hyena is medium. 70 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: Bone-blender jaws
  • Armor: Scrappy stamina
  • Senses: Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

Hyena · labeled field diagram

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

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

Hyena1100 psi bite
Rattlesnake80 psi bite

Hyena

Bone-blender jaws

Tool: bone-blender jaws. Bite: 1,100 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?

Hyena
60 km/h
Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Hyena60 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h

Hyena

60 km/h

Hyena can go 60 km/h. That is 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 grassland. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
HyenaRattlesnakeBoth

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

Hyena

This is home · Lives in Africa

Hyena lives in places like grassland.

Rattlesnake

Can handle it · Lives in North America

Rattlesnake's home is the north american deserts, not grassland.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Hyena
Meat · Clan chasers and bone-crushers.
Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Hyena

Meat · Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

They hunt more than they scavenge.

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.

Hyena
Hunts with a pack
Rattlesnake
Lives alone
Hyena9 grit /10
Rattlesnake7 grit /10

Hyena

Hunts with a pack

Bold in a clan. Grit: 9/10.

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?

Hyena
7/10
Rattlesnake
4/10
Hyena7 brains /10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10

Hyena

7/10

Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

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?

Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox

Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

Not dogs.

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?

Hyena
Whoop-and-Swarm
Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap

Hyena

Whoop-and-Swarm

The laugh is a call, not a joke.

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: Hyena 0 · Rattlesnake 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Hyena runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Hyena tries the Whoop-and-Swarm. Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Hyena!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Hyena wins. Hyena likes grassland more. 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: Hyena 5 · Rattlesnake 1 · ties 2.

Your card: Hyena 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.

1/17 · scroll