WHO WILL WIN?
Sea Lion
ARK-ARK-ARK
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
THE SETUP

Sea Lion vs Koala

Sea Lion
Sea Lion
Koala
Koala

Pretend a sea lion and a koala meet in forest. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild sea lions and koalas 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

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus · A sleepy specialist with surprising claws.

Koala
Home
Australian eucalyptus forest · Lives in Australia
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Koala is small.

Eucalyptus specialist.

A nose for the right leaves.

Low-energy by design.

  • Koala is small and slow.
  • Almost only eucalyptus.
  • They pick a tree, claim it, and treat the canopy like a studio apartment.

Family: Wombats.

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

Koala to scale

Koala

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.

Koala10 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that insists it is a teddy.

Sea Lion

1.20 m · 300 kg

Sea Lion is big. 300 kg.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 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: Tree-hook claws
  • Armor: Fluffy indifference
  • Senses: A nose for the right leaves.

Koala · labeled field diagram

Sea Lion400 psi bite
Koala100 psi bite

Sea Lion

Speed-bite plus flipper slap

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

Koala

Tree-hook claws

Tool: tree-hook claws. Bite: 100 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
Koala
10 km/h
Sea Lion30 km/h
Koala10 km/h

Sea Lion

30 km/h

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

Koala

10 km/h

Koala can go 10 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
Sea LionKoalaBoth

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

Sea Lion

Wrong place · Lives in North America

Sea Lion's home is the pacific coasts, not forest.

Koala

This is home · Lives in Australia

Koala lives in places like forest.

No. Wild sea lions and koalas 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.
Koala
Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Sea Lion

Meat · Fish chaser in the surf.

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

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

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
Koala
Lives alone
Sea Lion6 grit /10
Koala3 grit /10

Sea Lion

Lives in a big group

Playful and noisy. Grit: 6/10.

Koala

Lives alone

Low-energy by design. Grit: 3/10.

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
Koala
4/10
Sea Lion6 brains /10
Koala4 brains /10

Sea Lion

6/10

Whiskers read fish in murk.

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

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
Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus

Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

Fur seals and walruses.

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

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
Koala
Eucalyptus Power Nap

Sea Lion

Porpoise Missile

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

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

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 · Koala 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Sea Lion runs first. Koala does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Sea Lion is heavier. Koala uses tree-hook claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Sea Lion tries the Porpoise Missile. Koala tries the Eucalyptus Power Nap. 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 forest, Sea Lion wins. Sea Lion is a lot heavier. Koala 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 7 · Koala 1.

Your card: Sea Lion 0 · Koala 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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