WHO WILL WIN?
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
Baboon
WAHOO-BARK
THE SETUP

Rattlesnake vs Baboon

Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Baboon
Baboon

Pretend a rattlesnake and a baboon meet in the desert. 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

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox · A desert alarm clock with a noisy tail.

Rattlesnake
Home
North American deserts · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Rattlesnake is tiny.

Sit, rattle, strike.

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Would rather be left alone.

  • Rattlesnake is tiny and slow.
  • Mice, rats, rabbits — small warm snacks of the desert.
  • Rocks, brush, and sunny ledges where a coil can stay toasty.

Family: Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Corner B

Baboon

Papio anubis · A troop-tough primate with serious canine teeth.

Baboon
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Hunts with a pack
Size
Baboon is small.

Omnivore troop.

Sharp eyes on the ground.

Bold, loud, and political.

  • Baboon is small and fast.
  • Fruit, grass, insects, and the occasional small animal.
  • Open country with cliffs for sleeping.

Family: Mandrills and geladas — the big-monkey cousin group.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

0.70 m

Baboon to scale

Baboon

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

About as heavy as a water bottle, louder than a snack bag.

Baboon30 kg

About as heavy as a first-grader who lifts.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 kg.

Baboon

0.70 m · 30 kg

Baboon is small. 30 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: Hinged venom fangs
  • Armor: Rattle warning
  • Senses: Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Dagger canines
  • Armor: Troop backup
  • Senses: Sharp eyes on the ground.

Baboon · labeled field diagram

Rattlesnake80 psi bite
Baboon800 psi bite

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

Baboon

Dagger canines

Tool: dagger canines. Bite: 800 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Baboon
45 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h
Baboon45 km/h

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

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

Baboon

45 km/h

Baboon can go 45 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 the desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
RattlesnakeBaboonBoth

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

Rattlesnake

This is home · Lives in North America

Rattlesnake lives in places like the desert.

Baboon

Can handle it · Lives in Africa

Baboon's home is the african savanna, not the desert.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.
Baboon
Plants and meat · Omnivore troop.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Mice, rats, rabbits — small warm snacks of the desert.

Baboon

Plants and meat · Omnivore troop.

Fruit, grass, insects, and the occasional small animal.

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.

Rattlesnake
Lives alone
Baboon
Hunts with a pack
Rattlesnake7 grit /10
Baboon8 grit /10

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

Would rather be left alone. Grit: 7/10.

Baboon

Hunts with a pack

Bold, loud, and political. Grit: 8/10.

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?

Rattlesnake
4/10
Baboon
8/10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10
Baboon8 brains /10

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Baboon

8/10

Sharp eyes on the ground.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
Baboon
Papio anubis

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Baboon

Papio anubis

Mandrills and geladas — the big-monkey cousin group.

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?

Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap
Baboon
Alarm-Bark Charge

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

Baboon

Alarm-Bark Charge

They spot leopards from a long way off, shout the news, and sometimes mob the threat.

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: Rattlesnake 0 · Baboon 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Baboon runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in the desert.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Baboon is heavier. Rattlesnake uses hinged venom fangs. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Baboon tries the Alarm-Bark Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Baboon!

A STOMP

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

On the desert, Baboon wins. Baboon is a lot heavier. Rattlesnake 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: Rattlesnake 4 · Baboon 4.

Your card: Rattlesnake 0 · Baboon 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 · Baboon

Yawn so big it counts as a roar.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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