WHO WILL WIN?
Komodo Dragon
HISS-CHOMP
Boa
Sss-SQUEEZE
THE SETUP

Komodo Dragon vs Boa

Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon
Boa
Boa

Pretend a komodo dragon and a boa meet in the island. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

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

Boa

Boa constrictor · A rainforest squeeze with a calm face.

Boa
Home
Central and South American forests · Lives in South America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Boa is small.

Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Heat pits and a patient stare.

Calm coil.

  • Boa is small and slow.
  • Rodents, birds, lizards — medium meals, no need to be famous about it.
  • Trees and forest floor.

Family: Anacondas and other boas.

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

0.25 m

Boa to scale

Boa

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.

Boa15 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that learned yoga.

Komodo Dragon

0.50 m · 80 kg

Komodo Dragon is medium. 80 kg.

Boa

0.25 m · 15 kg

Boa is small. 15 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: Constriction hug
  • Armor: Saddle-pattern camo
  • Senses: Heat pits and a patient stare.

Boa · labeled field diagram

Komodo Dragon600 psi bite
Boa120 psi bite

Komodo Dragon

Venom-slick bite

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

Boa

Constriction hug

Tool: constriction hug. Bite: 120 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
Boa
4 km/h
Komodo Dragon20 km/h
Boa4 km/h

Komodo Dragon

20 km/h

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

Boa

4 km/h

Boa can go 4 km/h. That is slow.

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

Who takes the speed card?

HOME MAP!

HOME

They meet in the island. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
Komodo DragonBoaBoth

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

Komodo Dragon

This is home · Lives in Asia

Komodo Dragon lives in places like the island.

Boa

Can handle it · Lives in South America

Boa's home is the central and south american forests, not the island.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Komodo Dragon
Meat · Ambush lizard.
Boa
Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Komodo Dragon

Meat · Ambush lizard.

Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.

Boa

Meat · Constrictor of the forest floor and low branches.

Rodents, birds, lizards — medium meals, no need to be famous about it.

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
Boa
Lives alone
Komodo Dragon8 grit /10
Boa6 grit /10

Komodo Dragon

Lives alone

Slow-looking predator. Grit: 8/10.

Boa

Lives alone

Calm coil. 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
Boa
4/10
Komodo Dragon4 brains /10
Boa4 brains /10

Komodo Dragon

4/10

Tongue tastes the air.

Boa

4/10

Heat pits and a patient stare.

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
Boa
Boa constrictor

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

Other monitor lizards.

Boa

Boa constrictor

Anacondas and other boas.

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
Boa
Branch Drop Wrap

Komodo Dragon

Patient Island Ambush

They wait.

Boa

Branch Drop Wrap

They hunt from perches.

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 · Boa 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Komodo Dragon runs first. Boa does not race. They wait in the island.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Komodo Dragon is heavier. Boa uses constriction hug. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Komodo Dragon tries the Patient Island Ambush. Boa tries the Branch Drop Wrap. 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 the island, Komodo Dragon wins. Komodo Dragon likes the island more. Boa 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 7 · Boa 0 · ties 1.

Your card: Komodo Dragon 0 · Boa 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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