WHO WILL WIN?
Penguin
HONK-HONK
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
THE SETUP

Penguin vs Walrus

Penguin
Penguin
Walrus
Walrus

Pretend a penguin and a walrus meet in the coast. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

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

Penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri · A tuxedo torpedo with zero quit.

Penguin
Home
Antarctic ice · Lives in Antarctica
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a big group
Size
Penguin is medium.

Torpedo fisher.

Underwater vision is the talent.

Tough about cold.

  • Penguin is medium and slow.
  • Fish, krill, and squid, caught in icy dives.
  • They huddle in storms so tight that the inside of the huddle is toasty.

Family: Other flightless seabirds.

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

1.20 m

Penguin to scale

Penguin

1.20 m

Walrus to scale

Walrus

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

Penguin40 kg

About as heavy as a big bag of dog food, but much more dignified.

Walrus900 kg

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

Penguin

1.20 m · 40 kg

Penguin is medium. 40 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: Flipper slap + beak poke
  • Armor: Tuxedo blubber
  • Senses: Underwater vision is the talent.

Penguin · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Ivory ice picks
  • Armor: Blubber fortress
  • Senses: Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Walrus · labeled field diagram

Penguin80 psi bite
Walrus300 psi bite

Penguin

Flipper slap + beak poke

Tool: flipper slap + beak poke. Bite: 80 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?

Penguin
8 km/h
Walrus
20 km/h
Penguin8 km/h
Walrus20 km/h

Penguin

8 km/h

Penguin can go 8 km/h. That is slow.

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
PenguinWalrusBoth

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

Penguin

This is home · Lives in Antarctica

Penguin lives in places like the coast.

Walrus

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

Walrus lives in places like the coast.

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

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

Penguin

Meat · Torpedo fisher.

Fish, krill, and squid, caught in icy dives.

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.

Penguin
Lives in a big group
Walrus
Lives in a big group
Penguin7 grit /10
Walrus7 grit /10

Penguin

Lives in a big group

Tough about cold. 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?

Penguin
6/10
Walrus
5/10
Penguin6 brains /10
Walrus5 brains /10

Penguin

6/10

Underwater vision is the talent.

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?

Penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus

Penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri

Other flightless seabirds.

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?

Penguin
Belly-Toboggan Escape
Walrus
Tusk-Hook Haul

Penguin

Belly-Toboggan Escape

When walking is too slow, an emperor penguin drops and slides.

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: Penguin 0 · Walrus 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus is heavier. Penguin uses flipper slap + beak poke. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Penguin tries the Belly-Toboggan Escape. 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 is a lot heavier. Penguin 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: Penguin 1 · Walrus 4 · ties 3.

Your card: Penguin 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 · Penguin

Penguins in the Ross Sea. Formal wear, chaotic energy.

Francisco Ardini / PNRA · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

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