WHO WILL WIN?
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
Koala
BELLOW-SNOOZE
THE SETUP

Walrus vs Koala

Walrus
Walrus
Koala
Koala

Pretend a walrus and a koala meet in forest. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild walruss and koalas 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

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.

Corner B

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus · A sleepy specialist with surprising claws.

Koala
Home
Australian eucalyptus forest · Lives in Australia
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Koala is small.

Eucalyptus specialist.

A nose for the right leaves.

Low-energy by design.

  • Koala is small and slow.
  • Almost only eucalyptus.
  • They pick a tree, claim it, and treat the canopy like a studio apartment.

Family: Wombats.

TO SCALE!

SIZE & WEIGHT

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

1.70 m

Grown-up

1.20 m

Walrus to scale

Walrus

0.60 m

Koala to scale

Koala

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

Walrus900 kg

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

Koala10 kg

About as heavy as a bowling ball that insists it is a teddy.

Walrus

1.20 m · 900 kg

Walrus is big. 900 kg.

Koala

0.60 m · 10 kg

Koala is small. 10 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: Ivory ice picks
  • Armor: Blubber fortress
  • Senses: Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Walrus · labeled field diagram

  • Weapon: Tree-hook claws
  • Armor: Fluffy indifference
  • Senses: A nose for the right leaves.

Koala · labeled field diagram

Walrus300 psi bite
Koala100 psi bite

Walrus

Ivory ice picks

Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 psi.

Koala

Tree-hook claws

Tool: tree-hook claws. Bite: 100 psi.

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

Whose tools would you trust?

ZOOM!

SPEED

Who gets there first?

Walrus
20 km/h
Koala
10 km/h
Walrus20 km/h
Koala10 km/h

Walrus

20 km/h

Walrus can go 20 km/h. That is not very fast.

Koala

10 km/h

Koala can go 10 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 forest. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
WalrusKoalaBoth

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

Walrus

Wrong place · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe

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

Koala

This is home · Lives in Australia

Koala lives in places like forest.

No. Wild walruss and koalas would not meet. We still look at the facts.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Walrus
Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.
Koala
Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Walrus

Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Clams, mostly.

Koala

Plants · Eucalyptus specialist.

Almost only eucalyptus.

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.

Walrus
Lives in a big group
Koala
Lives alone
Walrus7 grit /10
Koala3 grit /10

Walrus

Lives in a big group

A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved. Grit: 7/10.

Koala

Lives alone

Low-energy by design. Grit: 3/10.

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?

Walrus
5/10
Koala
4/10
Walrus5 brains /10
Koala4 brains /10

Walrus

5/10

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Koala

4/10

A nose for the right leaves.

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

Who would you score for noticing?

COUSINS!

FAMILY

Who are they related to?

Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus
Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

Seals and sea lions.

Koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

Wombats.

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?

Walrus
Tusk-Hook Haul
Koala
Eucalyptus Power Nap

Walrus

Tusk-Hook Haul

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

Koala

Eucalyptus Power Nap

Koalas sleep up to 18 hours.

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: Walrus 0 · Koala 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Walrus runs first. Koala does not race. They wait in forest.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus is heavier. Koala uses tree-hook claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Koala tries the Eucalyptus Power Nap. 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 forest, Walrus wins. Walrus is a lot heavier. Koala 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: Walrus 7 · Koala 1.

Your card: Walrus 0 · Koala 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 · Koala

Joey in the pouch. The rumble was exhausting.

Brian Dell · Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

1/17 · scroll