WHO WILL WIN?
Otter
CHIRP-CHUCKLE
Gazelle
SNORT-PRONK
THE SETUP

Otter vs Gazelle

Otter
Otter
Gazelle
Gazelle

Pretend a otter and a gazelle meet in grassland. 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

Gazelle

Eudorcas thomsonii · A spring with horns and a stotting hobby.

Gazelle
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Gazelle is small.

Grazer.

Side-set eyes for a wraparound view.

Nervous athlete.

  • Gazelle is small and very fast.
  • Short grass.
  • Open plains where a lookout and a sprint are the whole security system.

Family: Antelopes and impalas.

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

0.70 m

Gazelle to scale

Gazelle

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

Otter10 kg

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

Gazelle25 kg

About as heavy as a second-grader, twice as bouncy.

Otter

0.40 m · 10 kg

Otter is small. 10 kg.

Gazelle

0.70 m · 25 kg

Gazelle is small. 25 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: Lyre horns plus kick
  • Armor: Stotting bounce
  • Senses: Side-set eyes for a wraparound view.

Gazelle · labeled field diagram

Otter150 psi bite
Gazelle20 psi bite

Otter

Needle teeth plus twist

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

Gazelle

Lyre horns plus kick

Tool: lyre horns plus kick. 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?

Otter
30 km/h
Gazelle
80 km/h
Otter30 km/h
Gazelle80 km/h

Otter

30 km/h

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

Gazelle

80 km/h

Gazelle can go 80 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 grassland. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
OtterGazelleBoth

Meeting biome: grassland. 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 grassland.

Gazelle

This is home · Lives in Africa

Gazelle lives in places like grassland.

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.
Gazelle
Plants · Grazer.

Otter

Meat · Fish wrestler.

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

Gazelle

Plants · Grazer.

Short grass.

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
Gazelle
Lives in a herd
Otter7 grit /10
Gazelle5 grit /10

Otter

Lives with family

Playful hustle. Grit: 7/10.

Gazelle

Lives in a herd

Nervous athlete. Grit: 5/10.

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
Gazelle
5/10
Otter7 brains /10
Gazelle5 brains /10

Otter

7/10

Whiskers in murky water.

Gazelle

5/10

Side-set eyes for a wraparound view.

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
Gazelle
Eudorcas thomsonii

Otter

Lontra canadensis

Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

Gazelle

Eudorcas thomsonii

Antelopes and impalas.

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
Gazelle
Zigzag Pronk

Otter

Slide Tackle

Mud slides are transport.

Gazelle

Zigzag Pronk

80 km/h plus sudden cuts.

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 · Gazelle 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Gazelle runs first. Otter does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Otter tries the Slide Tackle. Gazelle tries the Zigzag Pronk. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Gazelle!

A CLEAR PICK

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

On grassland, Gazelle wins. Gazelle likes grassland 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 4 · Gazelle 4.

Your card: Otter 0 · Gazelle 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 · Gazelle

Nairobi National Park. Spring-loaded legs on standby.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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