WHO WILL WIN?
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
T. rex
RAAWR
THE SETUP

Koala vs T. rex

Koala
Koala
T. rex
T. rex

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

Would they meet?

No. Koala and T. rex 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

T. rex

Tyrannosaurus rex · The banana-toothed bone cruiser.

T. rex
Home
Late Cretaceous floodplains of western North America · Lived in North America long ago
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
T. rex is giant.

Giant bite-and-pull hunter.

A huge smelling system and eyes that faced more forward than most dinosaurs.

Top of a vanished food web.

  • T. rex is giant and not very fast.
  • Horned dinosaurs, duckbills, leftover carcasses — a giant meat-eater that did not skip free calories.
  • Fossils come from places like Hell Creek: forests, rivers, and floodplains about 66 million years ago.

Family: Birds!

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

3.7 m

T. rex to scale

T. rex

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.

T. rex8,200 kg

Hip-tall as a basketball hoop, heavier than an African elephant, longer than a school bus.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 kg.

T. rex

3.7 m · 8,200 kg

T. rex is giant. 8,200 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: Banana-sized bone shears
  • Armor: Thick skull and a neck like a crane
  • Senses: A huge smelling system and eyes that faced more forward than most dinosaurs.

T. rex · labeled field diagram

Koala100 psi bite
T. rex8000 psi bite

Koala

Tree-hook claws

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

T. rex

Banana-sized bone shears

Tool: banana-sized bone shears. Bite: 8,000 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
T. rex
20 km/h
Koala10 km/h
T. rex20 km/h

Koala

10 km/h

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

T. rex

20 km/h

T. rex can go 20 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
KoalaT. rexBoth

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

Koala

This is home · Lives in Australia

Koala lives in places like forest.

T. rex

This is home · Lived in North America long ago

T. rex lives in places like forest.

No. Koala and T. rex 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.
T. rex
Meat · Giant bite-and-pull hunter.

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

T. rex

Meat · Giant bite-and-pull hunter.

Horned dinosaurs, duckbills, leftover carcasses — a giant meat-eater that did not skip free calories.

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
T. rex
Lives alone
Koala3 grit /10
T. rex9 grit /10

Koala

Lives alone

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

T. rex

Lives alone

Top of a vanished food web. Grit: 9/10.

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
T. rex
5/10
Koala4 brains /10
T. rex5 brains /10

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

T. rex

5/10

A huge smelling system and eyes that faced more forward than most dinosaurs.

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
T. rex
Tyrannosaurus rex

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

T. rex

Tyrannosaurus rex

Birds!

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
T. rex
Bone-Crunch Clamp

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

T. rex

Bone-Crunch Clamp

T.

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 · T. rex 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

T. rex runs first. Koala does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

T. rex 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. T. rex tries the Bone-Crunch Clamp. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

T. rex!

A STOMP

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

On forest, T. rex wins. T. rex is a lot heavier. 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 · T. rex 7 · ties 1.

Your card: Koala 0 · T. rex 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

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