WHO WILL WIN?
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
Cassowary
BOOM-RUMBLE
THE SETUP

Rattlesnake vs Cassowary

Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Cassowary
Cassowary

Pretend a rattlesnake and a cassowary meet in forest. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild rattlesnakes and cassowarys 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

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius · The rainforest's dinosaur that never left.

Cassowary
Home
Australian and New Guinean rainforest · Lives in Australia / Asia
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cassowary is medium.

Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Shy until cornered.

  • Cassowary is medium and fast.
  • Mostly fruit.
  • Dense rainforest where a tall dark bird can appear like a jump scare.

Family: Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

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

1.70 m

Cassowary to scale

Cassowary

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Cassowary55 kg

As tall as a grown-up, with the attitude of a dinosaur that kept the costume.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 kg.

Cassowary

1.70 m · 55 kg

Cassowary is medium. 55 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 inner toe
  • Armor: Casque helmet
  • Senses: Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Cassowary · labeled field diagram

Rattlesnake80 psi bite
Cassowary20 psi bite

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

Cassowary

Dagger inner toe

Tool: dagger inner toe. Bite: 20 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
Cassowary
50 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h
Cassowary50 km/h

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

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

Cassowary

50 km/h

Cassowary can go 50 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
RattlesnakeCassowaryBoth

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

Rattlesnake

Not their home · Lives in North America

Rattlesnake's home is the north american deserts, not forest.

Cassowary

This is home · Lives in Australia / Asia

Cassowary lives in places like forest.

No. Wild rattlesnakes and cassowarys 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.
Cassowary
Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

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

Cassowary

Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Mostly fruit.

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
Cassowary
Lives alone
Rattlesnake7 grit /10
Cassowary7 grit /10

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

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

Cassowary

Lives alone

Shy until cornered. 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?

Rattlesnake
4/10
Cassowary
4/10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10
Cassowary4 brains /10

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Cassowary

4/10

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

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
Cassowary
Casuarius casuarius

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius

Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

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
Cassowary
Kick of the Lost World

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

Cassowary

Kick of the Lost World

They jump and slash with both feet.

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 · Cassowary 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Cassowary runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Cassowary tries the Kick of the Lost World. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Cassowary!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Cassowary wins. Cassowary likes forest more. 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 0 · Cassowary 4 · ties 4.

Your card: Rattlesnake 0 · Cassowary 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.

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