WHO WILL WIN?
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
Gorilla
HOOT-HOOT-BAM
THE SETUP

Rattlesnake vs Gorilla

Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Gorilla
Gorilla

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

Would they meet?

No. Wild rattlesnakes and gorillas 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

Gorilla

Gorilla gorilla · A quiet giant until the chest-thump starts.

Gorilla
Home
African rainforest · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives with family
Size
Gorilla is medium.

Forager.

Sharp eyes in the green.

Gentle until a family is threatened.

  • Gorilla is medium and fast.
  • Mostly leaves, stems, and fruit.
  • Dense forest is home.

Family: Chimpanzees, orangutans, and humans.

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

Gorilla to scale

Gorilla

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Gorilla160 kg

As heavy as two kids in a backpack... if the backpack could bench-press a motorcycle.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 kg.

Gorilla

1.70 m · 160 kg

Gorilla is medium. 160 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: Anvil fists + ape bite
  • Armor: Barrel chest
  • Senses: Sharp eyes in the green.

Gorilla · labeled field diagram

Rattlesnake80 psi bite
Gorilla1300 psi bite

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

Gorilla

Anvil fists + ape bite

Tool: anvil fists + ape bite. Bite: 1,300 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Gorilla
40 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h
Gorilla40 km/h

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

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

Gorilla

40 km/h

Gorilla can go 40 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
RattlesnakeGorillaBoth

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.

Gorilla

This is home · Lives in Africa

Gorilla lives in places like forest.

No. Wild rattlesnakes and gorillas 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.
Gorilla
Plants · Forager.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

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

Gorilla

Plants · Forager.

Mostly leaves, stems, and 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
Gorilla
Lives with family
Rattlesnake7 grit /10
Gorilla8 grit /10

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

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

Gorilla

Lives with family

Gentle until a family is threatened. 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
Gorilla
9/10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10
Gorilla9 brains /10

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Gorilla

9/10

Sharp eyes in the green.

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
Gorilla
Gorilla gorilla

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Gorilla

Gorilla gorilla

Chimpanzees, orangutans, and humans.

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
Gorilla
Chest-Drum Charge

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

Gorilla

Chest-Drum Charge

The chest beat is a warning.

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 · Gorilla 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Gorilla 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. Gorilla tries the Chest-Drum Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Gorilla!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Gorilla wins. Gorilla 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 · Gorilla 6 · ties 2.

Your card: Rattlesnake 0 · Gorilla 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 · Gorilla

Five seconds of gorilla. Blink and you miss the champ.

Raul654 · Wikimedia Commons · GFDL. Source

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