Final Roar

So many battles down, so many competitors vanquished, we have arrived at the penultimate night of the 2020 March Mammal Madness. The Final Roar features 3 of my picks for the round.

Brown Hyena vs. Raccoon Dog

The Brown Hyena advanced from the Cats-ish vs. Dogs-ish bracket. The 3rd seed competitor had to get past the Sloth Bear, the Tayra, and the Fossa and had some pretty hairy battles. I’ve been #TeamBrownHyena from the start and am glad to see he made it this far. Unfortunately, he is facing off against one of my other favorites, the Raccoon Dog.

The Raccoon Dog was also a 3 seed heading into the tournament. He made it this far out of the Tiny Terror division, taking out the Pudu, the Pygmy Hog, the Island Fox, and the Northern Short-tailed Shrew. I’m happily #TeamRaccoonDog and have been rooting for him from the start. It’s gonna be a tough call for this first fight of the night between two of my favorites from this year’s tournament.

The battle takes place in the Swamp Forest of Sri Lanka, and while neither animal is native to the region, they both are pretty good at adapting to novel situations.

BROWN HYENA DISCOURAGES RACCOON DOG!!!! #2020MMM

— asia murphy, problematic aCaDeMiC (52/110k) (@am_anatiala) March 31, 2020

Gorilla vs. Gopher Tortoise

The Gorilla is the sole number 1 seed left in the tournament, and he comes from the Double Trouble division. He had some exciting battles, taking down the Nematode, the Wolverine (who I thought might win), the Cobra, and the Sawfish. This guy is clearly the favorite in tonight’s match, and to ensure an all-mammal championship fight, he must represent the hairy creatures.

The Gopher Tortoise is a surprising champion from the AnthropoSCENE division. He started as the 7th seed and is clearly the Cinderella story of this year’s tournament. I’m a bit surprised that this competitor made it this far since he had to face off against the Florida Panther (who was my pick to advance out of the AnthropoSCENE), the Pigeon (who I have a soft place in my heart for), the Cuttlefish (who I just adore), and the Swan (who looked unbeatable through the entire bracket). The Tortoise prevailed in those matches, however, and proved that he deserve a place in the Final Roar. But can he get past the Gorilla who may very well be his most dangerous opponent yet?

The battle takes place in the Desert Grassland so the Tortoise won’t have to worry about the water battle he’s had in the past…come to think of it, the Gorilla had to fight in the water too this time around. In any case, this is the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico, which is much closer to the environment the Tortoise enjoys than that of the Gorilla. But even outside his Tropical Forest, the Gorilla is a mighty competitor.

But instead of a ferocious fight, the Gorilla simply moves the Tortoise aside to get to a food source.

GORILLA SHOVES TORTOISE!!!! #2020MMM

— Alyson Brokaw, MSc (@alyb_batgirl) March 31, 2020

It’s a Wrap

The Championship battle is set…The Gorilla will be taking on the Brown Hyena on Wednesday to determine who is the 2020 March Mammal Madness Champion.

I could see either critter winning, and while my money is on the Gorilla taking the top spot, I am still leaning towards #TeamBrownHyena as my favorite.

Ramble 2020.01.37 | Final Roar