WHO WILL WIN?
Lion
ROOOAR
Panda
HONK-BLEAT
THE SETUP

Lion vs Panda

Lion
Lion
Panda
Panda

Pretend a lion and a panda 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

Panda

Ailuropoda melanoleuca · A bamboo tank in a costume.

Panda
Home
Chinese mountain forests · Lives in Asia
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Panda is medium.

Bamboo specialist.

Smell finds the right stalks.

Slow-looking, not helpless.

  • Panda is medium and not very fast.
  • Almost all bamboo, all day.
  • Cool, misty mountain forests where bamboo grows like a salad bar.

Family: Other bears.

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

0.90 m

Panda to scale

Panda

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

Lion190 kg

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

Panda120 kg

About as heavy as a big goat, shaped like a stuffed animal that lifts.

Lion

1.20 m · 190 kg

Lion is medium. 190 kg.

Panda

0.90 m · 120 kg

Panda is medium. 120 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: Bamboo-crusher jaws
  • Armor: Plush padding
  • Senses: Smell finds the right stalks.

Panda · labeled field diagram

Lion650 psi bite
Panda500 psi bite

Lion

Retractable meat hooks

Tool: retractable meat hooks. Bite: 650 psi.

Panda

Bamboo-crusher jaws

Tool: bamboo-crusher jaws. Bite: 500 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
Panda
30 km/h
Lion80 km/h
Panda30 km/h

Lion

80 km/h

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

Panda

30 km/h

Panda can go 30 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
LionPandaBoth

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.

Panda

This is home · Lives in Asia

Panda 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.
Panda
Plants · Bamboo specialist.

Lion

Meat · Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

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

Panda

Plants · Bamboo specialist.

Almost all bamboo, all day.

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
Panda
Lives alone
Lion9 grit /10
Panda4 grit /10

Lion

Lives in a team

Bold on home grass. Grit: 9/10.

Panda

Lives alone

Slow-looking, not helpless. Grit: 4/10.

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
Panda
6/10
Lion7 brains /10
Panda6 brains /10

Lion

7/10

Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Panda

6/10

Smell finds the right stalks.

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
Panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Lion

Panthera leo

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

Panda

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Other bears.

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
Panda
Sit-and-Smoosh

Lion

Pride Roar Stun

A lion's roar can travel 8 kilometers.

Panda

Sit-and-Smoosh

If a panda leans on a problem, the problem becomes a pancake.

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 · Panda 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Lion is heavier. Panda uses bamboo-crusher jaws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Lion tries the Pride Roar Stun. Panda tries the Sit-and-Smoosh. 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's retractable meat hooks helps more. Panda 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 7 · Panda 1.

Your card: Lion 0 · Panda 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

1/17 · scroll