WHO WILL WIN?
Tapir
WHEE-SQUEAK
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
THE SETUP

Tapir vs Walrus

Tapir
Tapir
Walrus
Walrus

Pretend a tapir and a walrus meet in river country. 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

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

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus · A tusked sofa that rules the ice.

Walrus
Home
Arctic sea ice · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe
Food
Meat
Group
Lives in a big group
Size
Walrus is big.

Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved.

  • Walrus is big and not very fast.
  • Clams, mostly.
  • Pack ice and rocky coasts, in noisy piles called haulouts.

Family: Seals and sea lions.

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

1.20 m

Walrus to scale

Walrus

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.

Walrus900 kg

As heavy as a small car, with mustache energy for days.

Tapir

1 m · 250 kg

Tapir is big. 250 kg.

Walrus

1.20 m · 900 kg

Walrus is big. 900 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: Ivory ice picks
  • Armor: Blubber fortress
  • Senses: Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Walrus · labeled field diagram

Tapir250 psi bite
Walrus300 psi bite

Tapir

Charge plus chomp

Tool: charge plus chomp. Bite: 250 psi.

Walrus

Ivory ice picks

Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 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
Walrus
20 km/h
Tapir48 km/h
Walrus20 km/h

Tapir

48 km/h

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

Walrus

20 km/h

Walrus 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
TapirWalrusBoth

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

Tapir

This is home · Lives in South America

Tapir lives in places like river country.

Walrus

Can handle it · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe

Walrus's home is the arctic sea ice, not river country.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Tapir
Plants · Browser with a mini-trunk.
Walrus
Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Tapir

Plants · Browser with a mini-trunk.

Leaves, fruit, and shoots.

Walrus

Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Clams, mostly.

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
Walrus
Lives in a big group
Tapir5 grit /10
Walrus7 grit /10

Tapir

Lives alone

Shy tanklet. Grit: 5/10.

Walrus

Lives in a big group

A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved. 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
Walrus
5/10
Tapir5 brains /10
Walrus5 brains /10

Tapir

5/10

Nose and hearing in thick green.

Walrus

5/10

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

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
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus

Tapir

Tapirus terrestris

Horses and rhinos.

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

Seals and sea lions.

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
Walrus
Tusk-Hook Haul

Tapir

Snorkel Splash-Off

The snout is a mini trunk.

Walrus

Tusk-Hook Haul

They can hook ice, bellow, and make a beach of other pinnipeds scoot over.

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 · Walrus 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Tapir runs first. Walrus does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus is heavier. Tapir uses charge plus chomp. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Tapir tries the Snorkel Splash-Off. Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Walrus!

A STOMP

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

On river country, Walrus wins. Walrus is a lot heavier. Tapir 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 2 · Walrus 4 · ties 2.

Your card: Tapir 0 · Walrus 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.

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