WHO WILL WIN?
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
Triceratops
SNORT-HORN
THE SETUP

Koala vs Triceratops

Koala
Koala
Triceratops
Triceratops

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

Would they meet?

No. Koala and Triceratops 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

Triceratops

Triceratops horridus · Three horns and a face-shield the size of a door.

Triceratops
Home
Late Cretaceous plains of western North America · Lived in North America long ago
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Triceratops is giant.

Does not hunt.

Side-set eyes behind a billboard frill.

A living battering ram with opinions.

  • Triceratops is giant and not very fast.
  • Tough plants cut with a parrot-like beak.
  • Same Late Cretaceous neighborhood as T.

Family: Other horned dinosaurs: Styracosaurus, Pentaceratops, and the whole ceratopsian family.

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

3.0 m

Triceratops to scale

Triceratops

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.

Triceratops9,000 kg

As heavy as a large elephant, with a skull longer than you are tall.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 kg.

Triceratops

3.0 m · 9,000 kg

Triceratops is giant. 9,000 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: Brow horns plus a beak
  • Armor: Bone frill shield
  • Senses: Side-set eyes behind a billboard frill.

Triceratops · labeled field diagram

Koala100 psi bite
Triceratops800 psi bite

Koala

Tree-hook claws

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

Triceratops

Brow horns plus a beak

Tool: brow horns plus a beak. Bite: 800 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
Triceratops
24 km/h
Koala10 km/h
Triceratops24 km/h

Koala

10 km/h

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

Triceratops

24 km/h

Triceratops can go 24 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
KoalaTriceratopsBoth

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.

Triceratops

This is home · Lived in North America long ago

Triceratops lives in places like forest.

No. Koala and Triceratops 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.
Triceratops
Plants · Does not hunt.

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

Triceratops

Plants · Does not hunt.

Tough plants cut with a parrot-like beak.

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
Triceratops
Lives in a herd
Koala3 grit /10
Triceratops8 grit /10

Koala

Lives alone

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

Triceratops

Lives in a herd

A living battering ram with opinions. Grit: 8/10.

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
Triceratops
3/10
Koala4 brains /10
Triceratops3 brains /10

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

Triceratops

3/10

Side-set eyes behind a billboard frill.

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
Triceratops
Triceratops horridus

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

Triceratops

Triceratops horridus

Other horned dinosaurs: Styracosaurus, Pentaceratops, and the whole ceratopsian family.

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
Triceratops
Frill Wall Charge

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

Triceratops

Frill Wall Charge

Lower the head, present the hardware, and make a predator argue with a moving fortress.

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 · Triceratops 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Triceratops runs first. Koala does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Koala tries the Eucalyptus Power Nap. Triceratops tries the Frill Wall Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Triceratops!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Triceratops wins. Triceratops 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 1 · Triceratops 6 · ties 1.

Your card: Koala 0 · Triceratops 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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