WHO WILL WIN?
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
THE SETUP

Koala vs Walrus

Koala
Koala
Walrus
Walrus

Pretend a koala and a walrus meet in the ice. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild koalas and walruss 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

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

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus · A tusked sofa that rules the ice.

Walrus
Home
Arctic sea ice · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a big group
Size
Walrus is big.

Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved.

  • Walrus is big and not very fast.
  • Clams, mostly.
  • Pack ice and rocky coasts, in noisy piles called haulouts.

Family: Seals and sea lions.

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

1.20 m

Walrus to scale

Walrus

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.

Walrus900 kg

As heavy as a small car, with mustache energy for days.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 kg.

Walrus

1.20 m · 900 kg

Walrus is big. 900 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: Ivory ice picks
  • Armor: Blubber fortress
  • Senses: Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Walrus · labeled field diagram

Koala100 psi bite
Walrus300 psi bite

Koala

Tree-hook claws

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

Walrus

Ivory ice picks

Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 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
Walrus
20 km/h
Koala10 km/h
Walrus20 km/h

Koala

10 km/h

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

Walrus

20 km/h

Walrus 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 the ice. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
KoalaWalrusBoth

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

Koala

Not their home · Lives in Australia

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

Walrus

This is home · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe

Walrus lives in places like the ice.

No. Wild koalas and walruss would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Koala
Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.
Walrus
Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

Walrus

Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Clams, mostly.

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
Walrus
Lives in a big group
Koala3 grit /10
Walrus7 grit /10

Koala

Lives alone

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

Walrus

Lives in a big group

A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved. 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
Walrus
5/10
Koala4 brains /10
Walrus5 brains /10

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

Walrus

5/10

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

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
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

Seals and sea lions.

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
Walrus
Tusk-Hook Haul

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

Walrus

Tusk-Hook Haul

They can hook ice, bellow, and make a beach of other pinnipeds scoot over.

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 · Walrus 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Walrus runs first. Koala does not race. They wait in the ice.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus 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. Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Walrus!

A STOMP

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

On the ice, Walrus wins. Walrus likes the ice 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 · Walrus 8.

Your card: Koala 0 · Walrus 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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