Versus: Animal Kingdom Edition

Moose vs Killer Whale 

While not the common natural prey of the orca, moose may swim in the ocean looking for aquatic vegetation or while travelling between land masses. Killer whales swimming along the coast are opportunistic and will munch on a moose carcass or a swimming moose (1). While searching for food, moose can swim to depths of up to six meters and hold their breath for a full minute (2). In comparison, orca can swim at speeds up to 27 mph and will typically surface between five to ten minutes after being underwater.  

Ostrich vs Lion 

Watch out lion, you may not want to mess with an angry ostrich. With their long legs, the world’s largest flightless bird has the potential to karate kick a lion to the point of death. Their powerful kick is combined with a sharp claw at the end of their legs and a running speed of up to 43 MPH (5). So would the king of the jungle dare to go after an ostrich? Their diet can consist of animals of various sizes from small rodents to elephants. They will hunt in groups for their prey and can eat up to 75 lbs of meat in a meal (7). The lion’s strength of its powerful jaw can definitely kill an ostrich but the ostrich is not completely defenseless. 

Dog vs Squirrel 

Not mortal enemies, dogs enjoy the thrill of the chase and some breeds will chase like they are hunting or as a game. If they were running a race, a squirrel may give a dog a run for its money. The eastern grey squirrel can reach speeds of up to 20 MPH and a golden retriever can run with speeds of up to 35 MPH (8, 9, 10). In a battle, a dog will likely lose to the squirrel climbing up a tree and away and if it was a flying squirrel they can glide up to 160 feet away even further.   

King Kong vs Godzilla

In the new movie, the trailers for this show them at about relatively the same size. Looking back historically from other movies Godzilla would seem to have the size and weight advantage but King Kong has had time to beef up his physique and apparently eating his veggies has exponentially increased his size in the 40 years since the Skull Island movie takes place to the new one. The 1962 version of the epic monster showdown has Godzilla beating King Kong, so we will have to wait and see who will win in the next movie (12,13, 14). 

Mantis Shrimp vs Giant Crab 

The mantis shrimp is the boxer of the sea with a deadly clubbing arm that can crush its predators with speeds of up to 50 mph. The clubbing arm has been known to crack aquarium glass and create bubbles that can generate shockwaves. They are split into groups of smashers, which will crush with their club down to kill their prey or spearers to use their barbs to hook their prey (15). The giant crab can reach lengths of up to 12 feet when their claws are outstretched and are one of the largest of the crustaceans. They utilize their pincers as defense mechanism against predators. (16). Giant crabs will molt their shells over time as they grow too small in their previous versions. It can take several weeks for this process to occur and they will hulk out of their old shell to settle life inside of their new shell (17). 

Thanks for learning more about he animal kingdom. Subscribe to our YouTube channel Woof of Mouth for other videos.  

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References

1. Hareem, Khansa. Strange Predatory Link Between Killer Whales and Moose. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.ststworld.com/a-strange-predatory-link-between-killer-whales-and-moose/. 
2. Moose Are One Of The Last Species You’d Expect To Be Swimming For Their Supper Every Fall. The Wild Canadian (2021). Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/wildcanadianyear/m_videos/web-series-one/moose-are-one-of-the-last-species-youd-expect-to-be-swimming-for-their-supp. 
3. Killer Whale. Oceanwide Expeditions (2021). Retrieved from https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/to-do/wildlife/killer-whale. 
4. Geist, Valerius. Moose. Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/animal/moose-mammal. 
5. Could an Ostrich Win a Fight with a Lion? Retrieved from https://study.com/blog/could-an-ostrich-win-a-fight-with-a-lion.html
6. Ostrich. National Geographic. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/o/ostrich/#close
7. Lion. Britannica. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/animal/lion 
8. Bradford, Alina. Squirrels: Diet, Habits and Other Facts. Live Science (2014). Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/28182-squirrels.html
9. How Far Can Golden Retrievers Run? (2021). Retrieved from https://www.retrievershub.com/can-golden-retrievers-run-and-training/ 
10. Golden Retriever. American Kennel Club Association (2021). Retrieved from https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/golden-retriever/ 
11. Squirrels. National Geographic. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/squirrels. 
12. Holmes, Adam. Epic Godzilla vs Kong Shows How Much King Kong Has Grown. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2561737/epic-godzilla-vs-kong-image-shows-how-much-king-kong-has-grown 
13. King Kong (MonsterVerse). Retrieved from https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/King_Kong_(MonsterVerse). 
14. Godzilla (MonsterVerse). Retrieved from https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_(MonsterVerse). 
15. 14 Incredible Mantis Shrimp Facts. Fact Animal (2021). Retrieved from https://factanimal.com/mantis-shrimp/. 
16. Giant Crab. Encyclopedia Britannica (2021). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/animal/giant-crab. 
17. Letzter, Rafi. Watch a Giant Spider Crab Bust Out of Its Own Shell in Wild Time-Lapse Video. Live Science (2019).  Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/64735-crab-shell-molting-video.html.