WHO WILL WIN?
Spinosaurus
CROCO-RAAWR
Capybara
CLICK-PURR
THE SETUP

Spinosaurus vs Capybara

Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus
Capybara
Capybara

Pretend they meet in river country. Dinosaurs lived long ago. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Spinosaurus and Capybara did not live at the same time. This meeting is pretend.

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

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus · A sail-backed river hunter longer than a bus.

Spinosaurus
Home
Mid-Cretaceous rivers of North Africa · Lived in Africa long ago
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Spinosaurus is giant.

River specialist.

A snout that may have sensed pressure in water, like a crocodile's face.

Boss of a Cretaceous river.

  • Spinosaurus is giant and not very fast.
  • Giant fish, and probably other animals that came to drink.
  • Cretaceous North Africa, about 95 million years ago — rivers and mangrove-ish coasts, not the Serengeti.

Family: Other spinosaurids like Baryonyx and Suchomimus.

Corner B

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris · The world's chillest giant rodent.

Capybara
Home
South American wetlands · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Capybara is medium.

Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Eyes and nose just above the water.

Chill social potato.

  • Capybara is medium and not very fast.
  • Grasses and water plants.
  • Riverbanks where the whole friend group can soak and snack.

Family: Guinea pigs.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

2.8 m

Spinosaurus to scale

Spinosaurus

0.60 m

Capybara to scale

Capybara

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

Spinosaurus7,000 kg

Longer than T. rex, maybe as long as a city bus, with a sail that could top a doorway.

Capybara50 kg

About as heavy as a fifth-grader, shaped like a friendly ottoman.

Spinosaurus

2.8 m · 7,000 kg

Spinosaurus is giant. 7,000 kg.

Capybara

0.60 m · 50 kg

Capybara is medium. 50 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: Croc-snout plus canoe claws
  • Armor: Sail and dense bones
  • Senses: A snout that may have sensed pressure in water, like a crocodile's face.

Spinosaurus · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Chisel teeth
  • Armor: Pond camouflage
  • Senses: Eyes and nose just above the water.

Capybara · labeled field diagram

Spinosaurus2000 psi bite
Capybara200 psi bite

Spinosaurus

Croc-snout plus canoe claws

Tool: croc-snout plus canoe claws. Bite: 2,000 psi.

Capybara

Chisel teeth

Tool: chisel teeth. Bite: 200 psi.

A bite number is only one tool. Coils and kicks count too.

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Spinosaurus
18 km/h
Capybara
35 km/h
Spinosaurus18 km/h
Capybara35 km/h

Spinosaurus

18 km/h

Spinosaurus can go 18 km/h. That is not very fast.

Capybara

35 km/h

Capybara can go 35 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
SpinosaurusCapybaraBoth

Meeting biome: river country. Colored land is fossil range for dinosaurs and living range for zoo animals.

Spinosaurus

This is home · Lived in Africa long ago

Spinosaurus lives in places like river country.

Capybara

This is home · Lives in South America

Capybara lives in places like river country.

No. Spinosaurus and Capybara did not live at the same time. This meeting is pretend.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Spinosaurus
Meat · River specialist.
Capybara
Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Spinosaurus

Meat · River specialist.

Giant fish, and probably other animals that came to drink.

Capybara

Plants · Grazer that swims like a sofa with a motor.

Grasses and water plants.

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.

Spinosaurus
Lives alone
Capybara
Lives in a herd
Spinosaurus7 grit /10
Capybara4 grit /10

Spinosaurus

Lives alone

Boss of a Cretaceous river. Grit: 7/10.

Capybara

Lives in a herd

Chill social potato. Grit: 4/10.

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?

Spinosaurus
4/10
Capybara
5/10
Spinosaurus4 brains /10
Capybara5 brains /10

Spinosaurus

4/10

A snout that may have sensed pressure in water, like a crocodile's face.

Capybara

5/10

Eyes and nose just above the water.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
Capybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus aegyptiacus

Other spinosaurids like Baryonyx and Suchomimus.

Capybara

Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris

Guinea pigs.

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?

Spinosaurus
River-Ambush Paddle
Capybara
Splash Sit-In

Spinosaurus

River-Ambush Paddle

Spinosaurus was built to hunt in rivers.

Capybara

Splash Sit-In

When trouble shows, they take the water.

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: Spinosaurus 0 · Capybara 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Capybara runs first. Spinosaurus does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Spinosaurus is heavier. Capybara uses chisel teeth. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Spinosaurus tries the River-Ambush Paddle. Capybara tries the Splash Sit-In. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Spinosaurus!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Spinosaurus wins. Spinosaurus is a lot heavier. Capybara 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: Spinosaurus 6 · Capybara 2.

Your card: Spinosaurus 0 · Capybara 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 · Capybara

Victory yawn. Peak capybara. Nothing bothers this animal.

Nesnad · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Source

1/17 · scroll