Walrus VS Ostrich
Files · 1/17
Walrus vs Ostrich
Pretend a walrus and a ostrich meet in the desert. Look at the facts. Then you pick.
Would they meet?
No. Wild walruss and ostrichs 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.
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus · A tusked sofa that rules the ice.
Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.
Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.
A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved.
Family: Seals and sea lions.
Ostrich
Struthio camelus · The kick that thinks it is a dinosaur.
Grazer and bug-pecker.
Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.
Run first, kick second.
Family: Emus, rheas, and other giant flightless birds.
SIZE & WEIGHT
Stand them next to a grown-up. Who is bigger and heavier?
1.70 m
Grown-up
1.20 m
Walrus
2.7 m
Ostrich
Height to scale. A grown-up is 1.7 m.
As heavy as a small car, with mustache energy for days.
Taller than most grown-ups, and faster than a city speed limit.
Walrus
1.20 m · 900 kg
Walrus is big. 900 kg.
Ostrich
2.7 m · 140 kg
Ostrich is medium. 140 kg.
Kilograms are honest. A small animal can still have a strong tool.
Who would you pick for size?
TOOLS
Teeth, claws, horns, venom, kick — what tools do they have?
Walrus · labeled field diagram
Ostrich · labeled field diagram
Walrus
Ivory ice picks
Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 psi.
Ostrich
Dinosaur-leg kick
Tool: dinosaur-leg kick. Bite: 50 psi.
A bite number is only one tool. Coils and kicks count too.
Whose tools would you trust?
SPEED
Who gets there first?
Walrus
20 km/h
Walrus can go 20 km/h. That is not very fast.
Ostrich
70 km/h
Ostrich can go 70 km/h. That is very fast.
A fast animal can miss. A slow one only has to connect.
Who takes the speed card?
HOME
They meet in the desert. Who is built for this place?
Meeting biome: the desert. 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 the desert.
Ostrich
This is home · Lives in Africa
Ostrich lives in places like the desert.
No. Wild walruss and ostrichs would not meet. We still look at the facts.
Who gets the home point?
FOOD
How do they get lunch?
Walrus
Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.
Clams, mostly.
Ostrich
Plants and meat · Grazer and bug-pecker.
Plants, seeds, insects, and the occasional lizard.
A plant eater is not 'safe.' Hippos and elephants still end arguments.
Whose hunting or defending helps more?
MOOD
Alone vs team. This rumble is one vs one.
Walrus
Lives in a big group
A tusked sofa that does not like being shoved. Grit: 7/10.
Ostrich
Lives in a flock
Run first, kick second. Grit: 6/10.
Pack and pride animals lose their backup in a 1-v-1.
Who is better for a solo meeting?
BRAINS
Who notices first and thinks next?
Walrus
5/10
Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.
Ostrich
4/10
Giant eyes — among the biggest of any land animal.
In the wild, brains often mean leave before it starts.
Who would you score for noticing?
FAMILY
Who are they related to?
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus
Seals and sea lions.
Ostrich
Struthio camelus
Emus, rheas, and other giant flightless birds.
Cousins are clues, not a score.
Not a fight point. Who has the wilder family story?
SPECIAL
What special move did they evolve?
Walrus
Tusk-Hook Haul
They can hook ice, bellow, and make a beach of other pinnipeds scoot over.
Ostrich
Sprint-and-Slash
They do not bury their heads in sand.
A secret move here is a real wild tool, not a video-game combo.
Whose special move would change the meeting?
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 · Ostrich 0 · still open 8
Who wins the meeting?
Keep going for the pretend meeting, then the science pick.
THEY MEET
Ostrich runs first. Walrus does not race. They wait in the desert.
Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest
THE TOOLS SHOW UP
Walrus is heavier. Ostrich uses dinosaur-leg kick. Nobody is keeping a gore score.
Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest
SPECIAL MOVES
Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Ostrich tries the Sprint-and-Slash. Keep your card. The last page is next.
Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest
Walrus!
A CLEAR PICK
You skipped a final pick. The facts still stamp a champ.
On the desert, Walrus wins. Walrus is a lot heavier. Ostrich 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 4 · Ostrich 2 · ties 2.
Your card: Walrus 0 · Ostrich 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 · Ostrich
That is a bird. That is also a sprinter.
Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source
1/17 · scroll