WHO WILL WIN?
Sloth
MEEP-SIGH
Komodo Dragon
HISS-CHOMP
THE SETUP

Sloth vs Komodo Dragon

Sloth
Sloth
Komodo Dragon
Komodo Dragon

Pretend a sloth and a komodo dragon meet in grassland. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

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

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis · A walking dinosaur with a chemistry set.

Komodo Dragon
Home
Indonesian islands · Lives in Asia
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Komodo Dragon is medium.

Ambush lizard.

Tongue tastes the air.

Slow-looking predator.

  • Komodo Dragon is medium and not very fast.
  • Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.
  • Hot, dry islands where a giant lizard can own the trail.

Family: Other monitor lizards.

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

0.50 m

Komodo Dragon to scale

Komodo Dragon

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

Sloth6 kg

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

Komodo Dragon80 kg

Longer than a bike, lower than a coffee table, heavier than a grown-up's suitcase.

Sloth

0.60 m · 6 kg

Sloth is small. 6 kg.

Komodo Dragon

0.50 m · 80 kg

Komodo Dragon is medium. 80 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: Venom-slick bite
  • Armor: Osteoderm chainmail
  • Senses: Tongue tastes the air.

Komodo Dragon · labeled field diagram

Sloth50 psi bite
Komodo Dragon600 psi bite

Sloth

Three-toed hooks

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

Komodo Dragon

Venom-slick bite

Tool: venom-slick bite. Bite: 600 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
Komodo Dragon
20 km/h
Sloth2 km/h
Komodo Dragon20 km/h

Sloth

2 km/h

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

Komodo Dragon

20 km/h

Komodo Dragon can go 20 km/h. That is not very fast.

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
SlothKomodo DragonBoth

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

Sloth

Can handle it · Lives in South America

Sloth's home is the central and south american rainforest, not grassland.

Komodo Dragon

This is home · Lives in Asia

Komodo Dragon lives in places like grassland.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Sloth
Plants · Leaf eater in slow motion.
Komodo Dragon
Meat · Ambush lizard.

Sloth

Plants · Leaf eater in slow motion.

Leaves.

Komodo Dragon

Meat · Ambush lizard.

Deer, pigs, water buffalo, even other dragons.

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
Komodo Dragon
Lives alone
Sloth5 grit /10
Komodo Dragon8 grit /10

Sloth

Lives alone

Peaceful to a fault. Grit: 5/10.

Komodo Dragon

Lives alone

Slow-looking predator. 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?

Sloth
3/10
Komodo Dragon
4/10
Sloth3 brains /10
Komodo Dragon4 brains /10

Sloth

3/10

Not a hunter's kit.

Komodo Dragon

4/10

Tongue tastes the air.

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
Komodo Dragon
Varanus komodoensis

Sloth

Bradypus variegatus

Anteaters and armadillos — the xenarthran club of unhurried specialists.

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

Other monitor lizards.

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
Komodo Dragon
Patient Island Ambush

Sloth

Hang In There

Predators often cannot peel a sloth off a branch.

Komodo Dragon

Patient Island Ambush

They wait.

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 · Komodo Dragon 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Komodo Dragon runs first. Sloth does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

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

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Sloth tries the Hang In There. Komodo Dragon tries the Patient Island Ambush. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Komodo Dragon!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Komodo Dragon wins. Komodo Dragon likes grassland more. 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 · Komodo Dragon 8.

Your card: Sloth 0 · Komodo Dragon 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 · Komodo Dragon

Dragon walk. Tongue out. Homework done.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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