WHO WILL WIN?
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
Otter
CHIRP-CHUCKLE
THE SETUP

Walrus vs Otter

Walrus
Walrus
Otter
Otter

Pretend a walrus and a otter meet in river country. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

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

Otter

Lontra canadensis · A slippery wrestler who treats rivers like gyms.

Otter
Home
Rivers and lakes · Lives in North America
Food
Meat
Group
Lives with family
Size
Otter is small.

Fish wrestler.

Whiskers in murky water.

Playful hustle.

  • Otter is small and not very fast.
  • Fish, crayfish, frogs — they eat lunch in the pool.
  • Riverbanks with dens called holts.

Family: Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

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

0.40 m

Otter to scale

Otter

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

Walrus900 kg

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

Otter10 kg

About as heavy as a bag of flour that learned backstroke.

Walrus

1.20 m · 900 kg

Walrus is big. 900 kg.

Otter

0.40 m · 10 kg

Otter 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: Needle teeth plus twist
  • Armor: Oilskin fur
  • Senses: Whiskers in murky water.

Otter · labeled field diagram

Walrus300 psi bite
Otter150 psi bite

Walrus

Ivory ice picks

Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 psi.

Otter

Needle teeth plus twist

Tool: needle teeth plus twist. Bite: 150 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
Otter
30 km/h
Walrus20 km/h
Otter30 km/h

Walrus

20 km/h

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

Otter

30 km/h

Otter 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 river country. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
WalrusOtterBoth

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

Walrus

Can handle it · Lives in North America / Asia / Europe

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

Otter

This is home · Lives in North America

Otter lives in places like river country.

Almost never. Their homes sit next to each other.

Who gets the home point?

MENU!

FOOD

How do they get lunch?

Walrus
Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.
Otter
Meat · Fish wrestler.

Walrus

Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Clams, mostly.

Otter

Meat · Fish wrestler.

Fish, crayfish, frogs — they eat lunch in the pool.

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
Otter
Lives with family
Walrus7 grit /10
Otter7 grit /10

Walrus

Lives in a big group

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

Otter

Lives with family

Playful hustle. Grit: 7/10.

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
Otter
7/10
Walrus5 brains /10
Otter7 brains /10

Walrus

5/10

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Otter

7/10

Whiskers in murky water.

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
Otter
Lontra canadensis

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

Seals and sea lions.

Otter

Lontra canadensis

Weasels, badgers, and wolverines.

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
Otter
Slide Tackle

Walrus

Tusk-Hook Haul

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

Otter

Slide Tackle

Mud slides are transport.

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 · Otter 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

SKREEE!

THEY MEET

Otter runs first. Walrus does not race. They wait in river country.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

CHOMP!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus is heavier. Otter uses needle teeth plus twist. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SNAP!

SPECIAL MOVES

Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Otter tries the Slide Tackle. 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 river country, Walrus wins. Walrus is a lot heavier. Otter 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 · Otter 4.

Your card: Walrus 0 · Otter 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 · Otter

Playtime. The official otter sport.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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