WHO WILL WIN?
Velociraptor
SKREEE
Triceratops
SNORT-HORN
THE SETUP

Velociraptor vs Triceratops

Velociraptor
Velociraptor
Triceratops
Triceratops

Pretend a velociraptor and a triceratops meet in grassland. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild velociraptors and triceratopss 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

Velociraptor

Velociraptor mongoliensis · Turkey-sized, feathered, and scientifically not a movie extra.

Velociraptor
Home
Late Cretaceous dunes of Mongolia · Lived in Asia long ago
Food
Meat
Group
Lives alone
Size
Velociraptor is small.

Sickle-claw pinner of small prey.

Sharp-eyed, quick-headed.

Fierce for a turkey.

  • Velociraptor is small and fast.
  • Small animals, maybe Protoceratops.
  • Mongolian desert dunes, not a jungle gym.

Family: Birds, Deinonychus, and the other dromaeosaurs.

Corner B

Triceratops

Triceratops horridus · Three horns and a face-shield the size of a door.

Triceratops
Home
Late Cretaceous plains of western North America · Lived in North America long ago
Food
Plants
Group
Lives in a herd
Size
Triceratops is giant.

Does not hunt.

Side-set eyes behind a billboard frill.

A living battering ram with opinions.

  • Triceratops is giant and not very fast.
  • Tough plants cut with a parrot-like beak.
  • Same Late Cretaceous neighborhood as T.

Family: Other horned dinosaurs: Styracosaurus, Pentaceratops, and the whole ceratopsian family.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

0.50 m

Velociraptor to scale

Velociraptor

3.0 m

Triceratops to scale

Triceratops

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

Velociraptor15 kg

About as heavy as a big turkey or a small dog. Hip-tall to a first grader.

Triceratops9,000 kg

As heavy as a large elephant, with a skull longer than you are tall.

Velociraptor

0.50 m · 15 kg

Velociraptor is small. 15 kg.

Triceratops

3.0 m · 9,000 kg

Triceratops is giant. 9,000 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: Sickle toe-claw
  • Armor: Feather coat
  • Senses: Sharp-eyed, quick-headed.

Velociraptor · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Brow horns plus a beak
  • Armor: Bone frill shield
  • Senses: Side-set eyes behind a billboard frill.

Triceratops · labeled field diagram

Velociraptor200 psi bite
Triceratops800 psi bite

Velociraptor

Sickle toe-claw

Tool: sickle toe-claw. Bite: 200 psi.

Triceratops

Brow horns plus a beak

Tool: brow horns plus a beak. Bite: 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?

Velociraptor
40 km/h
Triceratops
24 km/h
Velociraptor40 km/h
Triceratops24 km/h

Velociraptor

40 km/h

Velociraptor can go 40 km/h. That is fast.

Triceratops

24 km/h

Triceratops can go 24 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
VelociraptorTriceratopsBoth

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

Velociraptor

This is home · Lived in Asia long ago

Velociraptor lives in places like grassland.

Triceratops

This is home · Lived in North America long ago

Triceratops lives in places like grassland.

No. Wild velociraptors and triceratopss would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Velociraptor
Meat · Sickle-claw pinner of small prey.
Triceratops
Plants · Does not hunt.

Velociraptor

Meat · Sickle-claw pinner of small prey.

Small animals, maybe Protoceratops.

Triceratops

Plants · Does not hunt.

Tough plants cut with a parrot-like beak.

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.

Velociraptor
Lives alone
Triceratops
Lives in a herd
Velociraptor7 grit /10
Triceratops8 grit /10

Velociraptor

Lives alone

Fierce for a turkey. Grit: 7/10.

Triceratops

Lives in a herd

A living battering ram with opinions. 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?

Velociraptor
6/10
Triceratops
3/10
Velociraptor6 brains /10
Triceratops3 brains /10

Velociraptor

6/10

Sharp-eyed, quick-headed.

Triceratops

3/10

Side-set eyes behind a billboard frill.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Velociraptor
Velociraptor mongoliensis
Triceratops
Triceratops horridus

Velociraptor

Velociraptor mongoliensis

Birds, Deinonychus, and the other dromaeosaurs.

Triceratops

Triceratops horridus

Other horned dinosaurs: Styracosaurus, Pentaceratops, and the whole ceratopsian family.

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?

Velociraptor
Feather-Dash Pin
Triceratops
Frill Wall Charge

Velociraptor

Feather-Dash Pin

Fast, smart for a dinosaur, and about the size of a turkey.

Triceratops

Frill Wall Charge

Lower the head, present the hardware, and make a predator argue with a moving fortress.

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: Velociraptor 0 · Triceratops 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Velociraptor runs first. Triceratops does not race. They wait in grassland.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Triceratops is heavier. Velociraptor uses sickle toe-claw. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Velociraptor tries the Feather-Dash Pin. Triceratops tries the Frill Wall Charge. Keep your card. The last page is next.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

THE SCIENCE PICK

Triceratops!

A STOMP

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

On grassland, Triceratops wins. Triceratops is a lot heavier. Velociraptor 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: Velociraptor 3 · Triceratops 3 · ties 2.

Your card: Velociraptor 0 · Triceratops 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