WHO WILL WIN?
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
Stegosaurus
WHAP-SPIKE
THE SETUP

Rattlesnake vs Stegosaurus

Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus

Pretend they meet in grassland. Dinosaurs lived long ago. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Rattlesnake and Stegosaurus did not live at the same time. This meeting is pretend.

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

Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus stenops · Roof-plates up top, a tagged tail in back.

Stegosaurus
Home
Late Jurassic fern prairies of western North America · Lived in North America long ago
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Stegosaurus is huge.

Browser.

A tiny brain, a low head, and a tail that did not wait for a committee.

Slow salad tank.

  • Stegosaurus is huge and slow.
  • Low plants.
  • Morrison Formation country — Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago.

Family: Other plated dinosaurs like Kentrosaurus.

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

2.8 m

Stegosaurus to scale

Stegosaurus

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

Rattlesnake2 kg

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

Stegosaurus3,500 kg

About the weight of a pickup truck, with plates that could top a grown-up's head.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 kg.

Stegosaurus

2.8 m · 3,500 kg

Stegosaurus is huge. 3,500 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: Thagomizer tail spikes
  • Armor: Kite-plate rooftop
  • Senses: A tiny brain, a low head, and a tail that did not wait for a committee.

Stegosaurus · labeled field diagram

Rattlesnake80 psi bite
Stegosaurus200 psi bite

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

Stegosaurus

Thagomizer tail spikes

Tool: thagomizer tail spikes. 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
Stegosaurus
12 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h
Stegosaurus12 km/h

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

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

Stegosaurus

12 km/h

Stegosaurus can go 12 km/h. That is slow.

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
RattlesnakeStegosaurusBoth

Meeting biome: grassland. Colored land is fossil range for dinosaurs and living range for zoo animals.

Rattlesnake

Can handle it · Lives in North America

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

Stegosaurus

This is home · Lived in North America long ago

Stegosaurus lives in places like grassland.

No. Rattlesnake and Stegosaurus did not live at the same time. This meeting is pretend.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.
Stegosaurus
Plants · Browser.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

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

Stegosaurus

Plants · Browser.

Low 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
Stegosaurus
Lives in a herd
Rattlesnake7 grit /10
Stegosaurus7 grit /10

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

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

Stegosaurus

Lives in a herd

Slow salad tank. 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
Stegosaurus
2/10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10
Stegosaurus2 brains /10

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Stegosaurus

2/10

A tiny brain, a low head, and a tail that did not wait for a committee.

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
Stegosaurus
Stegosaurus stenops

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus stenops

Other plated dinosaurs like Kentrosaurus.

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
Stegosaurus
Plate Parade Whip

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

Stegosaurus

Plate Parade Whip

The brain was famously small.

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 · Stegosaurus 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Stegosaurus tries the Plate Parade Whip. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Stegosaurus!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Stegosaurus wins. Stegosaurus 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 2 · Stegosaurus 4 · ties 2.

Your card: Rattlesnake 0 · Stegosaurus 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.

1/17 · scroll