WHO WILL WIN?
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
Crocodile
SNAP-HISSS
THE SETUP

Rattlesnake vs Crocodile

Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Crocodile
Crocodile

Pretend a rattlesnake and a crocodile meet in river country. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild rattlesnakes and crocodiles 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

Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus · A living fossil with a trapdoor mouth.

Crocodile
Home
African rivers · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Crocodile is big.

Wait like a log.

Pressure sensors in the skin feel a ripple.

Explosive from zero.

  • Crocodile is big and not very fast.
  • Fish, mammals, birds — if it comes to the water's edge, it is on the menu.
  • They wait like logs.

Family: Alligators, caimans, and dinosaurs' old roommates, the archosaurs.

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

Crocodile to scale

Crocodile

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Crocodile500 kg

Can stretch longer than a pickup truck.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 kg.

Crocodile

0.70 m · 500 kg

Crocodile is big. 500 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: The planet's hardest chomp
  • Armor: Bony osteoderm shield
  • Senses: Pressure sensors in the skin feel a ripple.

Crocodile · labeled field diagram

Rattlesnake80 psi bite
Crocodile3700 psi bite

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

Crocodile

The planet's hardest chomp

Tool: the planet's hardest chomp. Bite: 3,700 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
Crocodile
32 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h
Crocodile32 km/h

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

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

Crocodile

32 km/h

Crocodile can go 32 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
RattlesnakeCrocodileBoth

Meeting biome: river country. 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 river country.

Crocodile

This is home · Lives in Africa

Crocodile lives in places like river country.

No. Wild rattlesnakes and crocodiles 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.
Crocodile
Meat · Wait like a log.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

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

Crocodile

Meat · Wait like a log.

Fish, mammals, birds — if it comes to the water's edge, it is on the menu.

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
Crocodile
Lives alone
Rattlesnake7 grit /10
Crocodile8 grit /10

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

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

Crocodile

Lives alone

Explosive from zero. 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
Crocodile
4/10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10
Crocodile4 brains /10

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Crocodile

4/10

Pressure sensors in the skin feel a ripple.

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
Crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

Alligators, caimans, and dinosaurs' old roommates, the archosaurs.

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
Crocodile
Death-Roll Remix

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

Crocodile

Death-Roll Remix

If it grabs you, it spins.

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 · Crocodile 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Crocodile runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Crocodile tries the Death-Roll Remix. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Crocodile!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Crocodile wins. Crocodile likes river country 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 · Crocodile 7 · ties 1.

Your card: Rattlesnake 0 · Crocodile 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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