WHO WILL WIN?
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
Capybara
CLICK-PURR
THE SETUP

Rattlesnake vs Capybara

Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Capybara
Capybara

Pretend a rattlesnake and a capybara meet in the desert. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild rattlesnakes and capybaras would not meet. We still look at the facts.

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

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris · The world's chillest giant rodent.

Capybara
Home
South American wetlands · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Capybara is medium.

Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Eyes and nose just above the water.

Chill social potato.

  • Capybara is medium and not very fast.
  • Grasses and water plants.
  • Riverbanks where the whole friend group can soak and snack.

Family: Guinea pigs.

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

0.60 m

Capybara to scale

Capybara

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Capybara50 kg

About as heavy as a fifth-grader, shaped like a friendly ottoman.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 kg.

Capybara

0.60 m · 50 kg

Capybara is medium. 50 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: Chisel teeth
  • Armor: Pond camouflage
  • Senses: Eyes and nose just above the water.

Capybara · labeled field diagram

Rattlesnake80 psi bite
Capybara200 psi bite

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

Capybara

Chisel teeth

Tool: chisel teeth. Bite: 200 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
Capybara
35 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h
Capybara35 km/h

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

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

Capybara

35 km/h

Capybara can go 35 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 desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
RattlesnakeCapybaraBoth

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.

Capybara

Not their home · Lives in South America

Capybara's home is the south american wetlands, not the desert.

No. Wild rattlesnakes and capybaras would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.
Capybara
Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

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

Capybara

Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Grasses and water plants.

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
Capybara
Lives in a herd
Rattlesnake7 grit /10
Capybara4 grit /10

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

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

Capybara

Lives in a herd

Chill social potato. Grit: 4/10.

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
Capybara
5/10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10
Capybara5 brains /10

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Capybara

5/10

Eyes and nose just above the water.

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
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Guinea pigs.

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
Capybara
Splash Sit-In

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

Capybara

Splash Sit-In

When trouble shows, they take the water.

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 · Capybara 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Capybara 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. Capybara tries the Splash Sit-In. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Capybara!

A CLEAR PICK · UNDERDOG

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

On the desert, Capybara wins. Capybara 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 5 · Capybara 3.

Your card: Rattlesnake 0 · Capybara 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 · Capybara

Victory yawn. Peak capybara. Nothing bothers this animal.

Nesnad · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Source

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