WHO WILL WIN?
Otter
CHIRP-CHUCKLE
Hyena
WHOOP-HAHA
THE SETUP

Otter vs Hyena

Otter
Otter
Hyena
Hyena

Pretend a otter and a hyena meet in river country. 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

Hyena

Crocuta crocuta · The bone-crunching comedian of the savanna.

Hyena
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Hunts with a pack
Size
Hyena is medium.

Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

Bold in a clan.

  • Hyena is medium and fast.
  • They hunt more than they scavenge.
  • Open grassland where clans can hear each other across the night.

Family: Not dogs.

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

0.85 m

Hyena to scale

Hyena

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

Otter10 kg

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

Hyena70 kg

About as heavy as a big dog that skipped every 'drop it' lesson.

Otter

0.40 m · 10 kg

Otter is small. 10 kg.

Hyena

0.85 m · 70 kg

Hyena is medium. 70 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: Bone-blender jaws
  • Armor: Scrappy stamina
  • Senses: Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

Hyena · labeled field diagram

Otter150 psi bite
Hyena1100 psi bite

Otter

Needle teeth plus twist

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

Hyena

Bone-blender jaws

Tool: bone-blender jaws. Bite: 1,100 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
Hyena
60 km/h
Otter30 km/h
Hyena60 km/h

Otter

30 km/h

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

Hyena

60 km/h

Hyena can go 60 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
OtterHyenaBoth

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

Otter

This is home · Lives in North America

Otter lives in places like river country.

Hyena

Can handle it · Lives in Africa

Hyena's home is the african savanna, not river country.

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.
Hyena
Meat · Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

Otter

Meat · Fish wrestler.

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

Hyena

Meat · Clan chasers and bone-crushers.

They hunt more than they scavenge.

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
Hyena
Hunts with a pack
Otter7 grit /10
Hyena9 grit /10

Otter

Lives with family

Playful hustle. Grit: 7/10.

Hyena

Hunts with a pack

Bold in a clan. Grit: 9/10.

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
Hyena
7/10
Otter7 brains /10
Hyena7 brains /10

Otter

7/10

Whiskers in murky water.

Hyena

7/10

Night hunters with a nose for leftovers and a bite that opens bones.

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
Hyena
Crocuta crocuta

Otter

Lontra canadensis

Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

Hyena

Crocuta crocuta

Not dogs.

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
Hyena
Whoop-and-Swarm

Otter

Slide Tackle

Mud slides are transport.

Hyena

Whoop-and-Swarm

The laugh is a call, not a joke.

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 · Hyena 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Hyena runs first. Otter does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Hyena 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. Hyena tries the Whoop-and-Swarm. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Hyena!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Hyena wins. Hyena is a lot heavier. 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 1 · Hyena 6 · ties 1.

Your card: Otter 0 · Hyena 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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