WHO WILL WIN?
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
Lion
ROOOAR
THE SETUP

Rattlesnake vs Lion

Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Lion
Lion

Pretend a rattlesnake and a lion meet in grassland. 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

Lion

Panthera leo · The mane event.

Lion
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a team
Size
Lion is medium.

Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Bold on home grass.

  • Lion is medium and very fast.
  • Lions hunt antelope, zebra, and even buffalo — usually as a team.
  • Lions love open grass country where they can stalk in plain sight.

Family: Tiger, leopard, jaguar, and your house cat (very, very distant cousin).

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

1.20 m

Lion to scale

Lion

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Lion190 kg

About as heavy as two grown-up humans stacked together.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 kg.

Lion

1.20 m · 190 kg

Lion is medium. 190 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: Retractable meat hooks
  • Armor: Neck-guard mane
  • Senses: Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

Lion · labeled field diagram

Rattlesnake80 psi bite
Lion650 psi bite

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

Lion

Retractable meat hooks

Tool: retractable meat hooks. Bite: 650 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
Lion
80 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h
Lion80 km/h

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

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

Lion

80 km/h

Lion can go 80 km/h. That is 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 grassland. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
RattlesnakeLionBoth

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

Rattlesnake

Can handle it · Lives in North America

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

Lion

This is home · Lives in Africa

Lion lives in places like grassland.

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.
Lion
Meat · Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

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

Lion

Meat · Lionesses stalk and rush as a team.

Lions hunt antelope, zebra, and even buffalo — usually as a team.

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
Lion
Lives in a team
Rattlesnake7 grit /10
Lion9 grit /10

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

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

Lion

Lives in a team

Bold on home grass. Grit: 9/10.

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
Lion
7/10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10
Lion7 brains /10

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Lion

7/10

Night vision and a roar you can hear for kilometers.

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
Lion
Panthera leo

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Lion

Panthera leo

Tiger, leopard, jaguar, and your house cat (very, very distant cousin).

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
Lion
Pride Roar Stun

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

Lion

Pride Roar Stun

A lion's roar can travel 8 kilometers.

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 · Lion 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Lion runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Lion 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. Lion tries the Pride Roar Stun. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Lion!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Lion wins. Lion likes grassland 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 · Lion 7 · ties 1.

Your card: Rattlesnake 0 · Lion 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 · Lion

The champ works the camera. Mane: present. Dignity: optional.

Wikimedia Commons · Fun Zoo Miami / CC. Source

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