Who would win in a fight: a giant squid or a great white shark? That was the final matchup in last year’s March Mammal Madness. The annual event is modeled after March Madness, a college basketball tournament. But instead of sports teams, it pits 64 animal species (not just mammals, as the name suggests) against each other in a series of imaginary “fights.”
Students around the world play along by picking which animal they think will win each battle. Then they see if their guesses match the winners chosen by scientists, who calculate which animals are more likely to win based on factors like size, speed, and behavior. The tournament was started in 2013 by Katie Hinde, a biologist at Arizona State University. At first, it only featured mammals. Over time, it expanded to include insects, reptiles, fish, and more. In 2024, the great white shark was crowned champion!