WHO WILL WIN?
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
Meerkat
CHK-CHK-ALARM
THE SETUP

Walrus vs Meerkat

Walrus
Walrus
Meerkat
Meerkat

Pretend a walrus and a meerkat meet in the ice. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild walruss and meerkats 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

Meerkat

Suricata suricatta · The smallest fighter with the biggest sentry energy.

Meerkat
Home
African desert and scrub · Lives in Africa
Food
Plants and meat
Group
Lives in a big group
Size
Meerkat is tiny.

Bug and scorpion specialist.

Dark-eye rings cut glare.

Brave in a mob, tiny in a 1-v-1.

  • Meerkat is tiny and not very fast.
  • Insects, scorpions, eggs, and the occasional lizard.
  • They live in underground burrow cities with many exits.

Family: Mongooses.

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

0.30 m

Meerkat to scale

Meerkat

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

Walrus900 kg

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

Meerkat0.8 kg

About as heavy as a loaf of bread that learned karate.

Walrus

1.20 m · 900 kg

Walrus is big. 900 kg.

Meerkat

0.30 m · 0.8 kg

Meerkat is tiny. 0.8 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: Needle claws
  • Armor: Absolutely none
  • Senses: Dark-eye rings cut glare.

Meerkat · labeled field diagram

Walrus300 psi bite
Meerkat50 psi bite

Walrus

Ivory ice picks

Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 psi.

Meerkat

Needle claws

Tool: needle claws. Bite: 50 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
Meerkat
32 km/h
Walrus20 km/h
Meerkat32 km/h

Walrus

20 km/h

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

Meerkat

32 km/h

Meerkat can go 32 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 ice. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
WalrusMeerkatBoth

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

Walrus

This is home · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe

Walrus lives in places like the ice.

Meerkat

Not their home · Lives in Africa

Meerkat's home is the african desert and scrub, not the ice.

No. Wild walruss and meerkats 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.
Meerkat
Plants and meat · Bug and scorpion specialist.

Walrus

Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Clams, mostly.

Meerkat

Plants and meat · Bug and scorpion specialist.

Insects, scorpions, eggs, and the occasional lizard.

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
Meerkat
Lives in a big group
Walrus7 grit /10
Meerkat10 grit /10

Walrus

Lives in a big group

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

Meerkat

Lives in a big group

Brave in a mob, tiny in a 1-v-1. 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?

Walrus
5/10
Meerkat
7/10
Walrus5 brains /10
Meerkat7 brains /10

Walrus

5/10

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Meerkat

7/10

Dark-eye rings cut glare.

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
Meerkat
Suricata suricatta

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

Seals and sea lions.

Meerkat

Suricata suricatta

Mongooses.

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
Meerkat
Sentry Siren

Walrus

Tusk-Hook Haul

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

Meerkat

Sentry Siren

One meerkat stands watch while the rest forage.

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 · Meerkat 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

WHAM!

THEY MEET

Meerkat runs first. Walrus does not race. They wait in the ice.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

WHOOSH!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus is heavier. Meerkat uses needle claws. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

ZING!

SPECIAL MOVES

Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Meerkat tries the Sentry Siren. 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 the ice, Walrus wins. Walrus likes the ice more. Meerkat 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 5 · Meerkat 3.

Your card: Walrus 0 · Meerkat 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 · Meerkat

Family meeting. Someone is always on lookout.

Boksi · Wilhelma Zoo · Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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