WHO WILL WIN?
Komodo Dragon
HISS-CHOMP
Baboon
WAHOO-BARK
THE SETUP

Komodo Dragon vs Baboon

Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon
Baboon
Baboon

Pretend a komodo dragon and a baboon 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

Baboon

Papio anubis · A troop-tough primate with serious canine teeth.

Baboon
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Hunts with a pack
Size
Baboon is small.

Omnivore troop.

Sharp eyes on the ground.

Bold, loud, and political.

  • Baboon is small and fast.
  • Fruit, grass, insects, and the occasional small animal.
  • Open country with cliffs for sleeping.

Family: Mandrills and geladas — the big-monkey cousin group.

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

0.70 m

Baboon to scale

Baboon

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.

Baboon30 kg

About as heavy as a first-grader who lifts.

Komodo Dragon

0.50 m · 80 kg

Komodo Dragon is medium. 80 kg.

Baboon

0.70 m · 30 kg

Baboon is small. 30 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: Dagger canines
  • Armor: Troop backup
  • Senses: Sharp eyes on the ground.

Baboon · labeled field diagram

Komodo Dragon600 psi bite
Baboon800 psi bite

Komodo Dragon

Venom-slick bite

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

Baboon

Dagger canines

Tool: dagger canines. 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?

Komodo Dragon
20 km/h
Baboon
45 km/h
Komodo Dragon20 km/h
Baboon45 km/h

Komodo Dragon

20 km/h

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

Baboon

45 km/h

Baboon can go 45 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 DragonBaboonBoth

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.

Baboon

This is home · Lives in Africa

Baboon 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.
Baboon
Plants and meat · Omnivore troop.

Komodo Dragon

Meat · Ambush lizard.

Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.

Baboon

Plants and meat · Omnivore troop.

Fruit, grass, insects, and the occasional small animal.

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
Baboon
Hunts with a pack
Komodo Dragon8 grit /10
Baboon8 grit /10

Komodo Dragon

Lives alone

Slow-looking predator. Grit: 8/10.

Baboon

Hunts with a pack

Bold, loud, and political. 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?

Komodo Dragon
4/10
Baboon
8/10
Komodo Dragon4 brains /10
Baboon8 brains /10

Komodo Dragon

4/10

Tongue tastes the air.

Baboon

8/10

Sharp eyes on the ground.

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
Baboon
Papio anubis

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

Other monitor lizards.

Baboon

Papio anubis

Mandrills and geladas — the big-monkey cousin group.

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
Baboon
Alarm-Bark Charge

Komodo Dragon

Patient Island Ambush

They wait.

Baboon

Alarm-Bark Charge

They spot leopards from a long way off, shout the news, and sometimes mob the threat.

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 · Baboon 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Komodo Dragon is heavier. Baboon uses dagger canines. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Komodo Dragon tries the Patient Island Ambush. Baboon tries the Alarm-Bark Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Komodo Dragon!

A CLEAR PICK

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

On grassland, Komodo Dragon wins. Komodo Dragon is a lot heavier. Baboon 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 4 · Baboon 2 · ties 2.

Your card: Komodo Dragon 0 · Baboon 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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