WHO WILL WIN?
Sea Lion
ARK-ARK-ARK
Baboon
WAHOO-BARK
THE SETUP

Sea Lion vs Baboon

Sea Lion
Sea Lion
Baboon
Baboon

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

Would they meet?

No. Wild sea lions and baboons 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

Baboon

Papio anubis · A troop-tough primate with serious canine teeth.

Baboon
Home
African savanna · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Hunts with a pack
Size
Baboon is small.

Omnivore troop.

Sharp eyes on the ground.

Bold, loud, and political.

  • Baboon is small and fast.
  • Fruit, grass, insects, and the occasional small animal.
  • Open country with cliffs for sleeping.

Family: Mandrills and geladas — the big-monkey cousin group.

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

0.70 m

Baboon to scale

Baboon

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.

Baboon30 kg

About as heavy as a first-grader who lifts.

Sea Lion

1.20 m · 300 kg

Sea Lion is big. 300 kg.

Baboon

0.70 m · 30 kg

Baboon is small. 30 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: Dagger canines
  • Armor: Troop backup
  • Senses: Sharp eyes on the ground.

Baboon · labeled field diagram

Sea Lion400 psi bite
Baboon800 psi bite

Sea Lion

Speed-bite plus flipper slap

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

Baboon

Dagger canines

Tool: dagger canines. Bite: 800 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
Baboon
45 km/h
Sea Lion30 km/h
Baboon45 km/h

Sea Lion

30 km/h

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

Baboon

45 km/h

Baboon can go 45 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 LionBaboonBoth

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.

Baboon

Not their home · Lives in Africa

Baboon's home is the african savanna, not the coast.

No. Wild sea lions and baboons 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.
Baboon
Plants and meat · Omnivore troop.

Sea Lion

Meat · Fish chaser in the surf.

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

Baboon

Plants and meat · Omnivore troop.

Fruit, grass, insects, and the occasional small animal.

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
Baboon
Hunts with a pack
Sea Lion6 grit /10
Baboon8 grit /10

Sea Lion

Lives in a big group

Playful and noisy. Grit: 6/10.

Baboon

Hunts with a pack

Bold, loud, and political. 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?

Sea Lion
6/10
Baboon
8/10
Sea Lion6 brains /10
Baboon8 brains /10

Sea Lion

6/10

Whiskers read fish in murk.

Baboon

8/10

Sharp eyes on the ground.

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
Baboon
Papio anubis

Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

Fur seals and walruses.

Baboon

Papio anubis

Mandrills and geladas — the big-monkey cousin group.

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
Baboon
Alarm-Bark Charge

Sea Lion

Porpoise Missile

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

Baboon

Alarm-Bark Charge

They spot leopards from a long way off, shout the news, and sometimes mob the threat.

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 · Baboon 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Sea Lion is heavier. Baboon uses dagger canines. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Sea Lion tries the Porpoise Missile. Baboon tries the Alarm-Bark Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Sea Lion!

A STOMP · UNDERDOG

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

On the coast, Sea Lion wins. Sea Lion likes the coast more. Baboon 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 2 · Baboon 6.

Your card: Sea Lion 0 · Baboon 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

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