WHO WILL WIN?
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
Otter
CHIRP-CHUCKLE
THE SETUP

Koala vs Otter

Koala
Koala
Otter
Otter

Pretend a koala and a otter 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

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus · A sleepy specialist with surprising claws.

Koala
Home
Australian eucalyptus forest · Lives in Australia
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Koala is small.

Eucalyptus specialist.

A nose for the right leaves.

Low-energy by design.

  • Koala is small and slow.
  • Almost only eucalyptus.
  • They pick a tree, claim it, and treat the canopy like a studio apartment.

Family: Wombats.

Corner B

Otter

Lontra canadensis · A slippery wrestler who treats rivers like gyms.

Otter
Home
Rivers and lakes · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives with family
Size
Otter is small.

Fish wrestler.

Whiskers in murky water.

Playful hustle.

  • Otter is small and not very fast.
  • Fish, crayfish, frogs — they eat lunch in the pool.
  • Riverbanks with dens called holts.

Family: Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.60 m

Koala to scale

Koala

0.40 m

Otter to scale

Otter

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

Koala10 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that insists it is a teddy.

Otter10 kg

About as heavy as a bag of flour that learned backstroke.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 kg.

Otter

0.40 m · 10 kg

Otter is small. 10 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: Tree-hook claws
  • Armor: Fluffy indifference
  • Senses: A nose for the right leaves.

Koala · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Needle teeth plus twist
  • Armor: Oilskin fur
  • Senses: Whiskers in murky water.

Otter · labeled field diagram

Koala100 psi bite
Otter150 psi bite

Koala

Tree-hook claws

Tool: tree-hook claws. Bite: 100 psi.

Otter

Needle teeth plus twist

Tool: needle teeth plus twist. Bite: 150 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Koala
10 km/h
Otter
30 km/h
Koala10 km/h
Otter30 km/h

Koala

10 km/h

Koala can go 10 km/h. That is slow.

Otter

30 km/h

Otter 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
KoalaOtterBoth

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

Koala

Can handle it · Lives in Australia

Koala's home is the australian eucalyptus forest, not river country.

Otter

This is home · Lives in North America

Otter 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?

Koala
Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.
Otter
Meat · Fish wrestler.

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

Otter

Meat · Fish wrestler.

Fish, crayfish, frogs — they eat lunch in the pool.

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.

Koala
Lives alone
Otter
Lives with family
Koala3 grit /10
Otter7 grit /10

Koala

Lives alone

Low-energy by design. Grit: 3/10.

Otter

Lives with family

Playful hustle. 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?

Koala
4/10
Otter
7/10
Koala4 brains /10
Otter7 brains /10

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

Otter

7/10

Whiskers in murky water.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus
Otter
Lontra canadensis

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

Otter

Lontra canadensis

Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

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?

Koala
Eucalyptus Power Nap
Otter
Slide Tackle

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

Otter

Slide Tackle

Mud slides are transport.

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: Koala 0 · Otter 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Otter runs first. Koala does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Koala is heavier. Otter uses needle teeth plus twist. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Koala tries the Eucalyptus Power Nap. Otter tries the Slide Tackle. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Otter!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Otter wins. Otter likes river country more. Koala 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: Koala 0 · Otter 7 · ties 1.

Your card: Koala 0 · Otter 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 · Otter

Playtime. The official otter sport.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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