WHO WILL WIN?
Tapir
WHEE-SQUEAK
Rattlesnake
CHK-CHK-BUZZ
THE SETUP

Tapir vs Rattlesnake

Tapir
Tapir
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake

Pretend a tapir and a rattlesnake meet in the desert. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild tapirs and rattlesnakes 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

Tapir

Tapirus terrestris · A forest tank with a mini trunk.

Tapir
Home
South American rainforest · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Tapir is big.

Browser with a mini-trunk.

Nose and hearing in thick green.

Shy tanklet.

  • Tapir is big and fast.
  • Leaves, fruit, and shoots.
  • Jungle near water.

Family: Horses and rhinos.

Corner B

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox · A desert alarm clock with a noisy tail.

Rattlesnake
Home
North American deserts · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Rattlesnake is tiny.

Sit, rattle, strike.

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Would rather be left alone.

  • Rattlesnake is tiny and slow.
  • Mice, rats, rabbits — small warm snacks of the desert.
  • Rocks, brush, and sunny ledges where a coil can stay toasty.

Family: Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

1 m

Tapir to scale

Tapir

0.15 m

Rattlesnake to scale

Rattlesnake

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

Tapir250 kg

About as heavy as a pony, with a nose that does extra homework.

Rattlesnake2 kg

About as heavy as a water bottle, louder than a snack bag.

Tapir

1 m · 250 kg

Tapir is big. 250 kg.

Rattlesnake

0.15 m · 2 kg

Rattlesnake is tiny. 2 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: Charge plus chomp
  • Armor: Thick hide
  • Senses: Nose and hearing in thick green.

Tapir · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Hinged venom fangs
  • Armor: Rattle warning
  • Senses: Heat pits are infrared goggles.

Rattlesnake · labeled field diagram

Tapir250 psi bite
Rattlesnake80 psi bite

Tapir

Charge plus chomp

Tool: charge plus chomp. Bite: 250 psi.

Rattlesnake

Hinged venom fangs

Tool: hinged venom fangs. Bite: 80 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Tapir
48 km/h
Rattlesnake
8 km/h
Tapir48 km/h
Rattlesnake8 km/h

Tapir

48 km/h

Tapir can go 48 km/h. That is fast.

Rattlesnake

8 km/h

Rattlesnake can go 8 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 the desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
TapirRattlesnakeBoth

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

Tapir

Not their home · Lives in South America

Tapir's home is the south american rainforest, not the desert.

Rattlesnake

This is home · Lives in North America

Rattlesnake lives in places like the desert.

No. Wild tapirs and rattlesnakes would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Tapir
Plants · Browser with a mini-trunk.
Rattlesnake
Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Tapir

Plants · Browser with a mini-trunk.

Leaves, fruit, and shoots.

Rattlesnake

Meat · Sit, rattle, strike.

Mice, rats, rabbits — small warm snacks of the desert.

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.

Tapir
Lives alone
Rattlesnake
Lives alone
Tapir5 grit /10
Rattlesnake7 grit /10

Tapir

Lives alone

Shy tanklet. Grit: 5/10.

Rattlesnake

Lives alone

Would rather be left alone. 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?

Tapir
5/10
Rattlesnake
4/10
Tapir5 brains /10
Rattlesnake4 brains /10

Tapir

5/10

Nose and hearing in thick green.

Rattlesnake

4/10

Heat pits are infrared goggles.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Tapir
Tapirus terrestris
Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox

Tapir

Tapirus terrestris

Horses and rhinos.

Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Other pit vipers, including copperheads.

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?

Tapir
Snorkel Splash-Off
Rattlesnake
Buzz Then Zap

Tapir

Snorkel Splash-Off

The snout is a mini trunk.

Rattlesnake

Buzz Then Zap

First the concert.

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: Tapir 0 · Rattlesnake 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Tapir runs first. Rattlesnake does not race. They wait in the desert.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Tapir is heavier. Rattlesnake uses hinged venom fangs. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Tapir tries the Snorkel Splash-Off. Rattlesnake tries the Buzz Then Zap. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Tapir!

A STOMP · UNDERDOG

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

On the desert, Tapir wins. Tapir is a lot heavier. Rattlesnake 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: Tapir 3 · Rattlesnake 5.

Your card: Tapir 0 · Rattlesnake 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.

1/17 · scroll