WHO WILL WIN?
Lion
ROOOAR
Cassowary
BOOM-RUMBLE
THE SETUP

Lion vs Cassowary

Lion
Lion
Cassowary
Cassowary

Pretend a lion and a cassowary meet in forest. 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

Lion

Panthera leo · The mane event.

Lion
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a team
Size
Lion is medium.

Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Bold on home grass.

  • Lion is medium and very fast.
  • Lions hunt antelope, zebra, and even buffalo — usually as a team.
  • Lions love open grass country where they can stalk in plain sight.

Family: Tiger, leopard, jaguar, and your house cat (very, very distant cousin).

Corner B

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius · The rainforest's dinosaur that never left.

Cassowary
Home
Australian and New Guinean rainforest · Lives in Australia / Asia
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cassowary is medium.

Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Shy until cornered.

  • Cassowary is medium and fast.
  • Mostly fruit.
  • Dense rainforest where a tall dark bird can appear like a jump scare.

Family: Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

1.20 m

Lion to scale

Lion

1.70 m

Cassowary to scale

Cassowary

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

Lion190 kg

About as heavy as two grown-up humans stacked together.

Cassowary55 kg

As tall as a grown-up, with the attitude of a dinosaur that kept the costume.

Lion

1.20 m · 190 kg

Lion is medium. 190 kg.

Cassowary

1.70 m · 55 kg

Cassowary is medium. 55 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: Retractable meat hooks
  • Armor: Neck-guard mane
  • Senses: Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Lion · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Dagger inner toe
  • Armor: Casque helmet
  • Senses: Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Cassowary · labeled field diagram

Lion650 psi bite
Cassowary20 psi bite

Lion

Retractable meat hooks

Tool: retractable meat hooks. Bite: 650 psi.

Cassowary

Dagger inner toe

Tool: dagger inner toe. 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?

Lion
80 km/h
Cassowary
50 km/h
Lion80 km/h
Cassowary50 km/h

Lion

80 km/h

Lion can go 80 km/h. That is very fast.

Cassowary

50 km/h

Cassowary 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
LionCassowaryBoth

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

Lion

Can handle it · Lives in Africa

Lion's home is the african savanna, not forest.

Cassowary

This is home · Lives in Australia / Asia

Cassowary lives in places like forest.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Lion
Meat · Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.
Cassowary
Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Lion

Meat · Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Lions hunt antelope, zebra, and even buffalo — usually as a team.

Cassowary

Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Mostly fruit.

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.

Lion
Lives in a team
Cassowary
Lives alone
Lion9 grit /10
Cassowary7 grit /10

Lion

Lives in a team

Bold on home grass. Grit: 9/10.

Cassowary

Lives alone

Shy until cornered. 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?

Lion
7/10
Cassowary
4/10
Lion7 brains /10
Cassowary4 brains /10

Lion

7/10

Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Cassowary

4/10

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Lion
Panthera leo
Cassowary
Casuarius casuarius

Lion

Panthera leo

Tiger, leopard, jaguar, and your house cat (very, very distant cousin).

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius

Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

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?

Lion
Pride Roar Stun
Cassowary
Kick of the Lost World

Lion

Pride Roar Stun

A lion's roar can travel 8 kilometers.

Cassowary

Kick of the Lost World

They jump and slash with both feet.

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: Lion 0 · Cassowary 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Lion runs first. Cassowary does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Lion is heavier. Cassowary uses dagger inner toe. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Lion tries the Pride Roar Stun. Cassowary tries the Kick of the Lost World. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Lion!

A CLEAR PICK

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

On forest, Lion wins. Lion is a lot heavier. Cassowary 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: Lion 5 · Cassowary 1 · ties 2.

Your card: Lion 0 · Cassowary 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 · Lion

The champ works the camera. Mane: present. Dignity: optional.

Wikimedia Commons · Fun Zoo Miami / CC. Source

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