WHO WILL WIN?
Walrus
BELLOW-OONG
Sloth
MEEP-SIGH
THE SETUP

Walrus vs Sloth

Walrus
Walrus
Sloth
Sloth

Pretend a walrus and a sloth meet in the coast. Look at the facts. Then you pick.

Would they meet?

No. Wild walruss and sloths 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

Sloth

Bradypus variegatus · The slowest fighter with the strongest grip.

Sloth
Home
Central and South American rainforest · Lives in South America
Food
Plants
Group
Lives alone
Size
Sloth is small.

Leaf eater in slow motion.

Not a hunter's kit.

Peaceful to a fault.

  • Sloth is small and slow.
  • Leaves.
  • The high canopy, where going nowhere slowly is a valid plan.

Family: Anteaters and armadillos — the xenarthran club of unhurried specialists.

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

Sloth to scale

Sloth

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

Walrus900 kg

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

Sloth6 kg

About as heavy as a small melon that refuses to rush.

Walrus

1.20 m · 900 kg

Walrus is big. 900 kg.

Sloth

0.60 m · 6 kg

Sloth is small. 6 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: Three-toed hooks
  • Armor: Algae cloak
  • Senses: Not a hunter's kit.

Sloth · labeled field diagram

Walrus300 psi bite
Sloth50 psi bite

Walrus

Ivory ice picks

Tool: ivory ice picks. Bite: 300 psi.

Sloth

Three-toed hooks

Tool: three-toed hooks. 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
Sloth
2 km/h
Walrus20 km/h
Sloth2 km/h

Walrus

20 km/h

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

Sloth

2 km/h

Sloth can go 2 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 the coast. Who is built for this place?

N. AmericaS. AmericaEuropeAfricaAsiaAustraliaAntarctica
WalrusSlothBoth

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

Walrus

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

Walrus lives in places like the coast.

Sloth

Not their home · Lives in South America

Sloth's home is the central and south american rainforest, not the coast.

No. Wild walruss and sloths 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.
Sloth
Plants · Leaf eater in slow motion.

Walrus

Meat · Clam vacuum with tusks for ice and arguments.

Clams, mostly.

Sloth

Plants · Leaf eater in slow motion.

Leaves.

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
Sloth
Lives alone
Walrus7 grit /10
Sloth5 grit /10

Walrus

Lives in a big group

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

Sloth

Lives alone

Peaceful to a fault. Grit: 5/10.

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
Sloth
3/10
Walrus5 brains /10
Sloth3 brains /10

Walrus

5/10

Whiskers find shellfish in the dark.

Sloth

3/10

Not a hunter's kit.

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
Sloth
Bradypus variegatus

Walrus

Odobenus rosmarus

Seals and sea lions.

Sloth

Bradypus variegatus

Anteaters and armadillos — the xenarthran club of unhurried specialists.

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
Sloth
Hang In There

Walrus

Tusk-Hook Haul

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

Sloth

Hang In There

Predators often cannot peel a sloth off a branch.

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 · Sloth 0 · still open 8

Who wins the meeting?

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

THWACK!

THEY MEET

Walrus runs first. Sloth does not race. They wait in the coast.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

SLAM!

THE TOOLS SHOW UP

Walrus is heavier. Sloth uses three-toed hooks. Nobody is keeping a gore score.

Pretend · fact-based · not a gore-fest

POW!

SPECIAL MOVES

Walrus tries the Tusk-Hook Haul. Sloth tries the Hang In There. 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 coast, Walrus wins. Walrus likes the coast more. Sloth 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 8 · Sloth 0.

Your card: Walrus 0 · Sloth 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 · Sloth

The slowest victory lap on record.

Wikimedia Commons · CC. Source

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