WHO WILL WIN?
Otter
CHIRP-CHUCKLE
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
THE SETUP

Otter vs Walrus

Otter
Otter
Walrus
Walrus

Pretend a otter and a walrus meet in the coast. 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

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus · A tusked sofa that rules the ice.

Walrus
Home
Arctic sea ice · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a big group
Size
Walrus is big.

Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved.

  • Walrus is big and not very fast.
  • Clams, mostly.
  • Pack ice and rocky coasts, in noisy piles called haulouts.

Family: Seals and sea 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

1.20 m

Walrus to scale

Walrus

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

Otter10 kg

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

Walrus900 kg

As heavy as a small car, with mustache energy for days.

Otter

0.40 m · 10 kg

Otter is small. 10 kg.

Walrus

1.20 m · 900 kg

Walrus is big. 900 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: Ivory ice picks
  • Armor: Blubber fortress
  • Senses: Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Walrus · labeled field diagram

Otter150 psi bite
Walrus300 psi bite

Otter

Needle teeth plus twist

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

Walrus

Ivory ice picks

Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 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
Walrus
20 km/h
Otter30 km/h
Walrus20 km/h

Otter

30 km/h

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

Walrus

20 km/h

Walrus can go 20 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 the coast. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
OtterWalrusBoth

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

Otter

Can handle it · Lives in North America

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

Walrus

This is home · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe

Walrus lives in places like the coast.

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.
Walrus
Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Otter

Meat · Fish wrestler.

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

Walrus

Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Clams, mostly.

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
Walrus
Lives in a big group
Otter7 grit /10
Walrus7 grit /10

Otter

Lives with family

Playful hustle. Grit: 7/10.

Walrus

Lives in a big group

A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved. 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
Walrus
5/10
Otter7 brains /10
Walrus5 brains /10

Otter

7/10

Whiskers in murky water.

Walrus

5/10

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

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
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus

Otter

Lontra canadensis

Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

Seals and sea 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
Walrus
Tusk-Hook Haul

Otter

Slide Tackle

Mud slides are transport.

Walrus

Tusk-Hook Haul

They can hook ice, bellow, and make a beach of other pinnipeds scoot over.

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 · Walrus 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Otter runs first. Walrus does not race. They wait in the coast.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus 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. Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Walrus!

A STOMP

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

On the coast, Walrus wins. Walrus likes the coast 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 3 · Walrus 5.

Your card: Otter 0 · Walrus 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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