WHO WILL WIN?
Sea Lion
ARK-ARK-ARK
Anteater
SNUFF-SLURP
THE SETUP

Sea Lion vs Anteater

Sea Lion
Sea Lion
Anteater
Anteater

Pretend a sea lion and a anteater meet in the coast. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild sea lions and anteaters 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

Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus · A barking torpedo in a wet tuxedo.

Sea Lion
Home
Pacific coasts · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a big group
Size
Sea Lion is big.

Fish chaser in the surf.

Whiskers read fish in murk.

Playful and noisy.

  • Sea Lion is big and not very fast.
  • Fish, squid, and the occasional unfortunate leftover from the ocean buffet.
  • Rocky coasts and piers, where barking is a civic duty.

Family: Fur seals and walruses.

Corner B

Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla · A vacuum cleaner with wrecking-ball claws.

Anteater
Home
South American grassland and forest · Lives in South America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Anteater is medium.

Ant specialist.

A nose that does the seeing.

Shy shredder.

  • Anteater is medium and fast.
  • Ants and termites.
  • Open woodland where mounds are the grocery store.

Family: Sloths and armadillos.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

Stand them next to a grown-up. Who is bigger and heavier?

1.70 m

Grown-up

1.20 m

Sea Lion to scale

Sea Lion

0.60 m

Anteater to scale

Anteater

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

Sea Lion300 kg

As heavy as a couple of grown-ups, shaped like a barking sofa.

Anteater40 kg

About as heavy as a third-grader, mostly snout and tail.

Sea Lion

1.20 m · 300 kg

Sea Lion is big. 300 kg.

Anteater

0.60 m · 40 kg

Anteater is medium. 40 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: Speed-bite plus flipper slap
  • Armor: Blubber wetsuit
  • Senses: Whiskers read fish in murk.

Sea Lion · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Hook claws
  • Armor: Bushy banner tail
  • Senses: A nose that does the seeing.

Anteater · labeled field diagram

Sea Lion400 psi bite
Anteater20 psi bite

Sea Lion

Speed-bite plus flipper slap

Tool: speed-bite plus flipper slap. Bite: 400 psi.

Anteater

Hook claws

Tool: hook claws. 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?

Sea Lion
30 km/h
Anteater
50 km/h
Sea Lion30 km/h
Anteater50 km/h

Sea Lion

30 km/h

Sea Lion can go 30 km/h. That is not very fast.

Anteater

50 km/h

Anteater 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 the coast. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
Sea LionAnteaterBoth

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

Sea Lion

This is home · Lives in North America

Sea Lion lives in places like the coast.

Anteater

Not their home · Lives in South America

Anteater's home is the south american grassland and forest, not the coast.

No. Wild sea lions and anteaters would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Sea Lion
Meat · Fish chaser in the surf.
Anteater
Meat · Ant specialist.

Sea Lion

Meat · Fish chaser in the surf.

Fish, squid, and the occasional unfortunate leftover from the ocean buffet.

Anteater

Meat · Ant specialist.

Ants and termites.

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.

Sea Lion
Lives in a big group
Anteater
Lives alone
Sea Lion6 grit /10
Anteater6 grit /10

Sea Lion

Lives in a big group

Playful and noisy. Grit: 6/10.

Anteater

Lives alone

Shy shredder. Grit: 6/10.

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?

Sea Lion
6/10
Anteater
5/10
Sea Lion6 brains /10
Anteater5 brains /10

Sea Lion

6/10

Whiskers read fish in murk.

Anteater

5/10

A nose that does the seeing.

In the wild, brains often mean leave before it starts.

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

Fur seals and walruses.

Anteater

Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Sloths and armadillos.

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?

Sea Lion
Porpoise Missile
Anteater
Termite-Can Opener

Sea Lion

Porpoise Missile

They leap, twist, and snatch fish mid-zoom.

Anteater

Termite-Can Opener

If cornered they rear up and slash.

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: Sea Lion 0 · Anteater 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Anteater runs first. Sea Lion does not race. They wait in the coast.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Sea Lion is heavier. Anteater uses hook claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Sea Lion tries the Porpoise Missile. Anteater tries the Termite-Can Opener. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Sea Lion!

A STOMP

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

On the coast, Sea Lion wins. Sea Lion likes the coast more. Anteater 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: Sea Lion 3 · Anteater 3 · ties 2.

Your card: Sea Lion 0 · Anteater 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 · Sea Lion

Harbor barking. The champ has notes.

Sarah Stierch · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY. Source

1/17 · scroll