WHO WILL WIN?
King Cobra
HISS-HOOD
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
THE SETUP

King Cobra vs Rattlesnake

King Cobra
King Cobra
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Pretend a king cobra and a rattlesnake meet in forest. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild king cobras and rattlesnakes would not meet. We still look at the facts.

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

King Cobra

Ophiophagus hannah · The tallest snake, with a hood like a warning sign.

King Cobra
Home
Asian forests · Lives in Asia
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
King Cobra is small.

Snake-eater with a stand-up hood.

Heat and chemical trail.

Alert, not cartoon-mean.

  • King Cobra is small and not very fast.
  • Mostly other snakes.
  • Dense forest and bamboo, where a long warning hiss carries.

Family: Other cobras and mambas — the elapid family of front-fanged specialists.

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

0.50 m

King Cobra to scale

King Cobra

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

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

King Cobra7 kg

Can stretch longer than a pickup truck, but no thicker than a grown-up's arm.

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

King Cobra

0.50 m · 7 kg

King Cobra is small. 7 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: Hood-high venom fangs
  • Armor: Scale slicker
  • Senses: Heat and chemical trail.

King Cobra · labeled field diagram

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

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

King Cobra100 psi bite
Rattlesnake80 psi bite

King Cobra

Hood-high venom fangs

Tool: hood-high venom fangs. Bite: 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?

King Cobra
18 km/h
Rattlesnake
8 km/h
King Cobra18 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h

King Cobra

18 km/h

King Cobra can go 18 km/h. That is not very 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
King CobraRattlesnakeBoth

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

King Cobra

This is home · Lives in Asia

King Cobra lives in places like forest.

Rattlesnake

Not their home · Lives in North America

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

No. Wild king cobras and rattlesnakes would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

King Cobra
Meat · Snake-eater with a stand-up hood.
Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

King Cobra

Meat · Snake-eater with a stand-up hood.

Mostly other snakes.

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.

King Cobra
Lives alone
Rattlesnake
Lives alone
King Cobra8 grit /10
Rattlesnake7 grit /10

King Cobra

Lives alone

Alert, not cartoon-mean. Grit: 8/10.

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?

King Cobra
5/10
Rattlesnake
4/10
King Cobra5 brains /10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10

King Cobra

5/10

Heat and chemical trail.

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?

King Cobra
Ophiophagus hannah
Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox

King Cobra

Ophiophagus hannah

Other cobras and mambas — the elapid family of front-fanged specialists.

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?

King Cobra
Wobble Venom Warning
Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap

King Cobra

Wobble Venom Warning

One bite can make a huge animal feel wobbly and want a very long nap.

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: King Cobra 0 · Rattlesnake 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

King Cobra runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

King Cobra tries the Wobble Venom Warning. Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

King Cobra!

A STOMP

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

On forest, King Cobra wins. King Cobra likes forest 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: King Cobra 8 · Rattlesnake 0.

Your card: King Cobra 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.

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