WHO WILL WIN?
Komodo Dragon
HISS-CHOMP
Anteater
SNUFF-SLURP
THE SETUP

Komodo Dragon vs Anteater

Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon
Anteater
Anteater

Pretend a komodo dragon and a anteater meet in grassland. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

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

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis · A walking dinosaur with a chemistry set.

Komodo Dragon
Home
Indonesian islands · Lives in Asia
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Komodo Dragon is medium.

Ambush lizard.

Tongue tastes the air.

Slow-looking predator.

  • Komodo Dragon is medium and not very fast.
  • Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.
  • Hot, dry islands where a giant lizard can own the trail.

Family: Other monitor lizards.

Corner B

Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla · A vacuum cleaner with wrecking-ball claws.

Anteater
Home
South American grassland and forest · Lives in South America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Anteater is medium.

Ant specialist.

A nose that does the seeing.

Shy shredder.

  • Anteater is medium and fast.
  • Ants and termites.
  • Open woodland where mounds are the grocery store.

Family: Sloths and armadillos.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.50 m

Komodo Dragon to scale

Komodo Dragon

0.60 m

Anteater to scale

Anteater

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

Komodo Dragon80 kg

Longer than a bike, lower than a coffee table, heavier than a grown-up's suitcase.

Anteater40 kg

About as heavy as a third-grader, mostly snout and tail.

Komodo Dragon

0.50 m · 80 kg

Komodo Dragon is medium. 80 kg.

Anteater

0.60 m · 40 kg

Anteater is medium. 40 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: Venom-slick bite
  • Armor: Osteoderm chainmail
  • Senses: Tongue tastes the air.

Komodo Dragon · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Hook claws
  • Armor: Bushy banner tail
  • Senses: A nose that does the seeing.

Anteater · labeled field diagram

Komodo Dragon600 psi bite
Anteater20 psi bite

Komodo Dragon

Venom-slick bite

Tool: venom-slick bite. Bite: 600 psi.

Anteater

Hook claws

Tool: hook claws. Bite: 20 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Komodo Dragon
20 km/h
Anteater
50 km/h
Komodo Dragon20 km/h
Anteater50 km/h

Komodo Dragon

20 km/h

Komodo Dragon can go 20 km/h. That is not very fast.

Anteater

50 km/h

Anteater can go 50 km/h. That is fast.

A fast animal can miss. A slow one only has to connect.

Who takes the speed card?

HOME MAP!

HOME

They meet in grassland. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
Komodo DragonAnteaterBoth

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

Komodo Dragon

This is home · Lives in Asia

Komodo Dragon lives in places like grassland.

Anteater

This is home · Lives in South America

Anteater lives in places like grassland.

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Komodo Dragon
Meat · Ambush lizard.
Anteater
Meat · Ant specialist.

Komodo Dragon

Meat · Ambush lizard.

Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.

Anteater

Meat · Ant specialist.

Ants and termites.

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.

Komodo Dragon
Lives alone
Anteater
Lives alone
Komodo Dragon8 grit /10
Anteater6 grit /10

Komodo Dragon

Lives alone

Slow-looking predator. Grit: 8/10.

Anteater

Lives alone

Shy shredder. Grit: 6/10.

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?

Komodo Dragon
4/10
Anteater
5/10
Komodo Dragon4 brains /10
Anteater5 brains /10

Komodo Dragon

4/10

Tongue tastes the air.

Anteater

5/10

A nose that does the seeing.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Komodo Dragon
Varanus komodoensis
Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

Other monitor lizards.

Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Sloths and armadillos.

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?

Komodo Dragon
Patient Island Ambush
Anteater
Termite-Can Opener

Komodo Dragon

Patient Island Ambush

They wait.

Anteater

Termite-Can Opener

If cornered they rear up and slash.

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: Komodo Dragon 0 · Anteater 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Anteater runs first. Komodo Dragon does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Komodo Dragon is heavier. Anteater uses hook claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Komodo Dragon tries the Patient Island Ambush. Anteater tries the Termite-Can Opener. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Komodo Dragon!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Komodo Dragon wins. Komodo Dragon is a lot heavier. Anteater 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: Komodo Dragon 5 · Anteater 2 · ties 1.

Your card: Komodo Dragon 0 · Anteater 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 · Komodo Dragon

Dragon walk. Tongue out. Homework done.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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