WHO WILL WIN?
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
Spinosaurus
CROCO-RAAWR
THE SETUP

Koala vs Spinosaurus

Koala
Koala
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus

Pretend they meet in river country. Dinosaurs lived long ago. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Koala and Spinosaurus did not live at the same time. This meeting is pretend.

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

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus · A sail-backed river hunter longer than a bus.

Spinosaurus
Home
Mid-Cretaceous rivers of North Africa · Lived in Africa long ago
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Spinosaurus is giant.

River specialist.

A snout that may have sensed pressure in water, like a crocodile's face.

Boss of a Cretaceous river.

  • Spinosaurus is giant and not very fast.
  • Giant fish, and probably other animals that came to drink.
  • Cretaceous North Africa, about 95 million years ago — rivers and mangrove-ish coasts, not the Serengeti.

Family: Other spinosaurids like Baryonyx and Suchomimus.

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

2.8 m

Spinosaurus to scale

Spinosaurus

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.

Spinosaurus7,000 kg

Longer than T. rex, maybe as long as a city bus, with a sail that could top a doorway.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 kg.

Spinosaurus

2.8 m · 7,000 kg

Spinosaurus is giant. 7,000 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: Croc-snout plus canoe claws
  • Armor: Sail and dense bones
  • Senses: A snout that may have sensed pressure in water, like a crocodile's face.

Spinosaurus · labeled field diagram

Koala100 psi bite
Spinosaurus2000 psi bite

Koala

Tree-hook claws

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

Spinosaurus

Croc-snout plus canoe claws

Tool: croc-snout plus canoe claws. Bite: 2,000 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
Spinosaurus
18 km/h
Koala10 km/h
Spinosaurus18 km/h

Koala

10 km/h

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

Spinosaurus

18 km/h

Spinosaurus 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 MAP!

HOME

They meet in river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
KoalaSpinosaurusBoth

Meeting biome: river country. Colored land is fossil range for dinosaurs and living range for zoo animals.

Koala

Can handle it · Lives in Australia

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

Spinosaurus

This is home · Lived in Africa long ago

Spinosaurus lives in places like river country.

No. Koala and Spinosaurus did not live at the same time. This meeting is pretend.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Koala
Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.
Spinosaurus
Meat · River specialist.

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

Spinosaurus

Meat · River specialist.

Giant fish, and probably other animals that came to drink.

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
Spinosaurus
Lives alone
Koala3 grit /10
Spinosaurus7 grit /10

Koala

Lives alone

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

Spinosaurus

Lives alone

Boss of a Cretaceous river. 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
Spinosaurus
4/10
Koala4 brains /10
Spinosaurus4 brains /10

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

Spinosaurus

4/10

A snout that may have sensed pressure in water, like a crocodile's face.

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
Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Other spinosaurids like Baryonyx and Suchomimus.

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
Spinosaurus
River-Ambush Paddle

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

Spinosaurus

River-Ambush Paddle

Spinosaurus was built to hunt in rivers.

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 · Spinosaurus 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Spinosaurus is heavier. Koala uses tree-hook claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Koala tries the Eucalyptus Power Nap. Spinosaurus tries the River-Ambush Paddle. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Spinosaurus!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Spinosaurus wins. Spinosaurus 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 · Spinosaurus 7 · ties 1.

Your card: Koala 0 · Spinosaurus 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.

Also starring · Koala

Joey in the pouch. The rumble was exhausting.

Brian Dell · Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

1/17 · scroll