WHO WILL WIN?
Sloth
MEEP-SIGH
Cassowary
BOOM-RUMBLE
THE SETUP

Sloth vs Cassowary

Sloth
Sloth
Cassowary
Cassowary

Pretend a sloth and a cassowary meet in forest. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

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

Sloth

Bradypus variegatus · The slowest fighter with the strongest grip.

Sloth
Home
Central and South American rainforest · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Sloth is small.

Leaf eater in slow motion.

Not a hunter's kit.

Peaceful to a fault.

  • Sloth is small and slow.
  • Leaves.
  • The high canopy, where going nowhere slowly is a valid plan.

Family: Anteaters and armadillos — the xenarthran club of unhurried specialists.

Corner B

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius · The rainforest's dinosaur that never left.

Cassowary
Home
Australian and New Guinean rainforest · Lives in Australia / Asia
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Cassowary is medium.

Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Shy until cornered.

  • Cassowary is medium and fast.
  • Mostly fruit.
  • Dense rainforest where a tall dark bird can appear like a jump scare.

Family: Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.60 m

Sloth to scale

Sloth

1.70 m

Cassowary to scale

Cassowary

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

Sloth6 kg

About as heavy as a small melon that refuses to rush.

Cassowary55 kg

As tall as a grown-up, with the attitude of a dinosaur that kept the costume.

Sloth

0.60 m · 6 kg

Sloth is small. 6 kg.

Cassowary

1.70 m · 55 kg

Cassowary is medium. 55 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: Three-toed hooks
  • Armor: Algae cloak
  • Senses: Not a hunter's kit.

Sloth · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Dagger inner toe
  • Armor: Casque helmet
  • Senses: Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

Cassowary · labeled field diagram

Sloth50 psi bite
Cassowary20 psi bite

Sloth

Three-toed hooks

Tool: three-toed hooks. Bite: 50 psi.

Cassowary

Dagger inner toe

Tool: dagger inner toe. 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?

Sloth
2 km/h
Cassowary
50 km/h
Sloth2 km/h
Cassowary50 km/h

Sloth

2 km/h

Sloth can go 2 km/h. That is slow.

Cassowary

50 km/h

Cassowary 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
SlothCassowaryBoth

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

Sloth

This is home · Lives in South America

Sloth lives in places like forest.

Cassowary

This is home · Lives in Australia / Asia

Cassowary lives in places like forest.

Yes. They could meet in the real wild. This page is still a what-if.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Sloth
Plants · Leaf eater in slow motion.
Cassowary
Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Sloth

Plants · Leaf eater in slow motion.

Leaves.

Cassowary

Plants and meat · Fruit eater with dinosaur feet.

Mostly fruit.

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.

Sloth
Lives alone
Cassowary
Lives alone
Sloth5 grit /10
Cassowary7 grit /10

Sloth

Lives alone

Peaceful to a fault. Grit: 5/10.

Cassowary

Lives alone

Shy until cornered. 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?

Sloth
3/10
Cassowary
4/10
Sloth3 brains /10
Cassowary4 brains /10

Sloth

3/10

Not a hunter's kit.

Cassowary

4/10

Casque and low rumble carry through forest.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Cassowary
Casuarius casuarius

Sloth

Bradypus variegatus

Anteaters and armadillos — the xenarthran club of unhurried specialists.

Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius

Emus and ostriches — the ratite squad of giant flightless birds.

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?

Sloth
Hang In There
Cassowary
Kick of the Lost World

Sloth

Hang In There

Predators often cannot peel a sloth off a branch.

Cassowary

Kick of the Lost World

They jump and slash with both feet.

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: Sloth 0 · Cassowary 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Cassowary runs first. Sloth does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Cassowary is heavier. Sloth uses three-toed hooks. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Sloth tries the Hang In There. Cassowary tries the Kick of the Lost World. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Cassowary!

A STOMP

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

On forest, Cassowary wins. Cassowary is a lot heavier. Sloth 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: Sloth 0 · Cassowary 7 · ties 1.

Your card: Sloth 0 · Cassowary 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.

Also starring · Sloth

The slowest victory lap on record.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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