WHO WILL WIN?
Tortoise
HISS-HMPH
Hippo
HAAAWMP
THE SETUP

Tortoise vs Hippo

Tortoise
Tortoise
Hippo
Hippo

Pretend a tortoise and a hippo meet in the desert. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild tortoises and hippos 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

Tortoise

Chelonoidis niger · A walking bunker that outlives arguments.

Tortoise
Home
Galápagos islands · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Tortoise is big.

Browser.

They feel footsteps.

Unbothered fortress.

  • Tortoise is big and slow.
  • Cactus, grass, and island plants.
  • Dry islands where going slowly uses less water and fewer bad ideas.

Family: Turtles and terrapins.

Corner B

Hippo

Hippopotamus amphibius · A floating boulder with kitchen-knife tusks.

Hippo
Home
African rivers and lakes · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Hippo is huge.

Grazer by night.

Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

Famous for a short fuse in the river.

  • Hippo is huge and not very fast.
  • Hippos graze grass at night.
  • They own the river.

Family: Whales and dolphins!

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.50 m

Tortoise to scale

Tortoise

1.50 m

Hippo to scale

Hippo

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

Tortoise250 kg

As heavy as a grown-up, shaped like a helmet that learned to walk.

Hippo1,500 kg

About as heavy as a small car, with a much bigger attitude.

Tortoise

0.50 m · 250 kg

Tortoise is big. 250 kg.

Hippo

1.50 m · 1,500 kg

Hippo is huge. 1,500 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: Beak ram
  • Armor: Dome fortress
  • Senses: They feel footsteps.

Tortoise · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Tusk-lined cave mouth
  • Armor: Cannonball body
  • Senses: Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

Hippo · labeled field diagram

Tortoise200 psi bite
Hippo1800 psi bite

Tortoise

Beak ram

Tool: beak ram. Bite: 200 psi.

Hippo

Tusk-lined cave mouth

Tool: tusk-lined cave mouth. Bite: 1,800 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Tortoise
1 km/h
Hippo
30 km/h
Tortoise1 km/h
Hippo30 km/h

Tortoise

1 km/h

Tortoise can go 1 km/h. That is slow.

Hippo

30 km/h

Hippo can go 30 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 the desert. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
TortoiseHippoBoth

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

Tortoise

This is home · Lives in South America

Tortoise lives in places like the desert.

Hippo

Wrong place · Lives in Africa

Hippo's home is the african rivers and lakes, not the desert.

No. Wild tortoises and hippos would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Tortoise
Plants · Browser.
Hippo
Plants · Grazer by night.

Tortoise

Plants · Browser.

Cactus, grass, and island plants.

Hippo

Plants · Grazer by night.

Hippos graze grass at night.

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.

Tortoise
Lives alone
Hippo
Lives in a herd
Tortoise6 grit /10
Hippo10 grit /10

Tortoise

Lives alone

Unbothered fortress. Grit: 6/10.

Hippo

Lives in a herd

Famous for a short fuse in the river. Grit: 10/10.

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?

Tortoise
3/10
Hippo
5/10
Tortoise3 brains /10
Hippo5 brains /10

Tortoise

3/10

They feel footsteps.

Hippo

5/10

Ears, eyes, and nostrils sit on top of the head like a submarine periscope.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Tortoise
Chelonoidis niger
Hippo
Hippopotamus amphibius

Tortoise

Chelonoidis niger

Turtles and terrapins.

Hippo

Hippopotamus amphibius

Whales and dolphins!

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?

Tortoise
Tuck and Outlast
Hippo
River Rage Charge

Tortoise

Tuck and Outlast

They pull in.

Hippo

River Rage Charge

Hippos look chill in 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: Tortoise 0 · Hippo 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

FWOOSH!

THEY MEET

Hippo runs first. Tortoise does not race. They wait in the desert.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

KICK!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Hippo is heavier. Tortoise uses beak ram. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

STOOMP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Tortoise tries the Tuck and Outlast. Hippo tries the River Rage Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Hippo!

A STOMP

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

On the desert, Hippo wins. Hippo is a lot heavier. Tortoise 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: Tortoise 1 · Hippo 7.

Your card: Tortoise 0 · Hippo 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 · Hippo

Baby hippo. Rain. The rumble can wait.

Giles Laurent · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA. Source

1/17 · scroll