WHO WILL WIN?
Ostrich
BOOM-KICK
Python
Sss-WRAP
THE SETUP

Ostrich vs Python

Ostrich
Ostrich
Python
Python

Pretend a ostrich and a python meet in the desert. 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

Ostrich

Struthio camelus · The kick that thinks it is a dinosaur.

Ostrich
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives in a flock
Size
Ostrich is medium.

Grazer and bug-pecker.

Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.

Run first, kick second.

  • Ostrich is medium and very fast.
  • Plants, seeds, insects, and the occasional lizard.
  • Open country where those huge legs can actually use their speed.

Family: Emus, rheas, and other giant flightless birds.

Corner B

Python

Malayopython reticulatus · A patterned squeeze machine with patience.

Python
Home
Southeast Asian forests · Lives in Asia
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Python is medium.

Ambush constrictor.

Heat pits on some pythons.

Sit-and-wait.

  • Python is medium and slow.
  • Mammals and birds.
  • Rainforest and farmland edges, often near water.

Family: Other pythons — the Old World constrictor club.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

2.7 m

Ostrich to scale

Ostrich

0.35 m

Python to scale

Python

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

Ostrich140 kg

Taller than most grown-ups, and faster than a city speed limit.

Python75 kg

Can stretch longer than a bus. Please do not try to use one as a jump rope.

Ostrich

2.7 m · 140 kg

Ostrich is medium. 140 kg.

Python

0.35 m · 75 kg

Python is medium. 75 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: Dinosaur-leg kick
  • Armor: Long-range eyeballs
  • Senses: Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.

Ostrich · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Reticulated coils
  • Armor: Geometric hide
  • Senses: Heat pits on some pythons.

Python · labeled field diagram

Ostrich50 psi bite
Python150 psi bite

Ostrich

Dinosaur-leg kick

Tool: dinosaur-leg kick. Bite: 50 psi.

Python

Reticulated coils

Tool: reticulated coils. Bite: 150 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Ostrich
70 km/h
Python
5 km/h
Ostrich70 km/h
Python5 km/h

Ostrich

70 km/h

Ostrich can go 70 km/h. That is very fast.

Python

5 km/h

Python can go 5 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 desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
OstrichPythonBoth

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

Ostrich

This is home · Lives in Africa

Ostrich lives in places like the desert.

Python

Not their home · Lives in Asia

Python's home is the southeast asian forests, not the desert.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Ostrich
Plants and meat · Grazer and bug-pecker.
Python
Meat · Ambush constrictor.

Ostrich

Plants and meat · Grazer and bug-pecker.

Plants, seeds, insects, and the occasional lizard.

Python

Meat · Ambush constrictor.

Mammals and birds.

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.

Ostrich
Lives in a flock
Python
Lives alone
Ostrich6 grit /10
Python7 grit /10

Ostrich

Lives in a flock

Run first, kick second. Grit: 6/10.

Python

Lives alone

Sit-and-wait. 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?

Ostrich
4/10
Python
4/10
Ostrich4 brains /10
Python4 brains /10

Ostrich

4/10

Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.

Python

4/10

Heat pits on some pythons.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Ostrich
Struthio camelus
Python
Malayopython reticulatus

Ostrich

Struthio camelus

Emus, rheas, and other giant flightless birds.

Python

Malayopython reticulatus

Other pythons — the Old World constrictor club.

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?

Ostrich
Sprint-and-Slash
Python
Puzzle-Wrap Hold

Ostrich

Sprint-and-Slash

They do not bury their heads in sand.

Python

Puzzle-Wrap Hold

Heat pits in the face find warm animals in the dark.

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: Ostrich 0 · Python 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Ostrich runs first. Python does not race. They wait in the desert.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Ostrich is heavier. Python uses reticulated coils. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Ostrich tries the Sprint-and-Slash. Python tries the Puzzle-Wrap Hold. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Ostrich!

A CLEAR PICK

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

On the desert, Ostrich wins. Ostrich likes the desert more. Python 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: Ostrich 3 · Python 3 · ties 2.

Your card: Ostrich 0 · Python 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 · Ostrich

That is a bird. That is also a sprinter.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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