WHO WILL WIN?
Otter
CHIRP-CHUCKLE
Cougar
SCREAM-PURR
THE SETUP

Otter vs Cougar

Otter
Otter
Cougar
Cougar

Pretend a otter and a cougar 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

Otter

Lontra canadensis · A slippery wrestler who treats rivers like gyms.

Otter
Home
Rivers and lakes · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives with family
Size
Otter is small.

Fish wrestler.

Whiskers in murky water.

Playful hustle.

  • Otter is small and not very fast.
  • Fish, crayfish, frogs — they eat lunch in the pool.
  • Riverbanks with dens called holts.

Family: Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

Corner B

Cougar

Puma concolor · The quiet jumper with a hundred nicknames.

Cougar
Home
Americas from mountains to swamp · Lives in North America / South America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cougar is medium.

Stalk and pounce.

Dawn-and-dusk eyes.

A loner with a plan.

  • Cougar is medium and very fast.
  • Deer are favorite.
  • The widest range of any New World mammal, from Canada to the Andes.

Family: Cheetahs and jaguarundis more than roaring lions.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.40 m

Otter to scale

Otter

0.75 m

Cougar to scale

Cougar

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

Otter10 kg

About as heavy as a bag of flour that learned backstroke.

Cougar65 kg

About as heavy as a grown-up's suitcase that can jump a creek.

Otter

0.40 m · 10 kg

Otter is small. 10 kg.

Cougar

0.75 m · 65 kg

Cougar is medium. 65 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: Needle teeth plus twist
  • Armor: Oilskin fur
  • Senses: Whiskers in murky water.

Otter · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Pounce and hold
  • Armor: Tawny vanish
  • Senses: Dawn-and-dusk eyes.

Cougar · labeled field diagram

Otter150 psi bite
Cougar400 psi bite

Otter

Needle teeth plus twist

Tool: needle teeth plus twist. Bite: 150 psi.

Cougar

Pounce and hold

Tool: pounce and hold. Bite: 400 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Otter
30 km/h
Cougar
70 km/h
Otter30 km/h
Cougar70 km/h

Otter

30 km/h

Otter can go 30 km/h. That is not very fast.

Cougar

70 km/h

Cougar can go 70 km/h. That is 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
OtterCougarBoth

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

Otter

Not their home · Lives in North America

Otter's home is the rivers and lakes, not forest.

Cougar

This is home · Lives in North America / South America

Cougar 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?

Otter
Meat · Fish wrestler.
Cougar
Meat · Stalk and pounce.

Otter

Meat · Fish wrestler.

Fish, crayfish, frogs — they eat lunch in the pool.

Cougar

Meat · Stalk and pounce.

Deer are favorite.

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.

Otter
Lives with family
Cougar
Lives alone
Otter7 grit /10
Cougar7 grit /10

Otter

Lives with family

Playful hustle. Grit: 7/10.

Cougar

Lives alone

A loner with a plan. 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?

Otter
7/10
Cougar
7/10
Otter7 brains /10
Cougar7 brains /10

Otter

7/10

Whiskers in murky water.

Cougar

7/10

Dawn-and-dusk eyes.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Otter
Lontra canadensis
Cougar
Puma concolor

Otter

Lontra canadensis

Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

Cougar

Puma concolor

Cheetahs and jaguarundis more than roaring lions.

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?

Otter
Slide Tackle
Cougar
Canyon Long Jump

Otter

Slide Tackle

Mud slides are transport.

Cougar

Canyon Long Jump

They can bound 12 meters in a single leap.

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: Otter 0 · Cougar 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Cougar runs first. Otter does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Cougar is heavier. Otter uses needle teeth plus twist. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Otter tries the Slide Tackle. Cougar tries the Canyon Long Jump. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Cougar!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Cougar wins. Cougar likes forest more. Otter 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: Otter 0 · Cougar 7 · ties 1.

Your card: Otter 0 · Cougar 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.

Also starring · Otter

Playtime. The official otter sport.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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