By Julia Trost, Staff Writer
Most people are busy creating their brackets for March Madness, a nationwide college basketball tournament that boasts millions of viewers. However, a hidden version exists for animal lovers: March Mammal Madness. At River Hill, biology and environmental science classes are competing against their peers, choosing amongst predetermined species such as the grizzly bear and orca to ultimately be crowned the champion.
The March Mammal Madness bracket consists of four categories of species: Animal Collectives, Wild North America, Queens of the Sea & Sky, and Why Not Both? There are five rounds in total including the “Sweet 16,” “Elite Trait,” and “Final Roar,” similar to those of March Madness (but with puns embedded). The tournament began on March 14, with the championship taking place on April 6.
She had her students prepare powerpoint slides with pictures and basic information in groups for each of the 64 species. Then, when it came to time to make the bracket, they could use these slides as a reference point. Some students completed additional research on their own or orchestrated random guesses.
March Mammal Madness was created by Katie Hinde, an associate professor at Arizona State University. Her goal was to use scientific research to simulate battles between a variety of species. Species are chosen from a database and seeded based on weaponry, armor, fight style, temperament/motivation, and any special skills/considerations such as hibernation. The underlying basis of March Madness relies on science, but the battles themselves are fictional. Some species in this year’s bracket include the hairy frogfish, marsh rabbit, Hawaiian monk seal, olive sea snake, and muntjac.
Seeding, or how the species are ranked, ranges from first to fifteenth. When it comes to the battles, the organizers of March Mammal Madness use a random number generator that takes into account all of the characteristics above to determine who wins the battle. As a result, there are many upsets that players do not see coming.
Additionally, if species are injured in a battle, their injuries carry on to the next round. It is also important to note that the habitat of the higher seed determines where the battle takes place in the first couple of rounds. For example, the orca, who has a high seed, lives in the ocean. If its opponent is a mole, then the mole immediately loses because it cannot survive in the ocean. The habitat is randomly generated in later rounds.
When asked about which species should be crowned the champion, Sidney Carlson, a senior in AP Environmental Science, explained, “I chose the bison because it is super strong and you can’t take a bison head on and live to tell the tale. Also, I chose it randomly but I feel like everyone should have chosen the lioness because Ms. Wester did.”
The favorites to win include the orca, walrus, grizzly bear, bison, embarrassment of pandas, swordfish, and pride of lionesses as Sidney mentioned. All of these species are either first or second seeds in their respective categories.
Senior Jannah Nassar exclaimed, “March Mammal Madness is something I look forward to every class. It’s always so interesting seeing which animal wins because sometimes you wouldn’t expect it. Like when the bat beat the reindeer I was flabbergasted! Overall, I appreciate how Mrs. Wester makes our class have something to engage with over the month.”
Ms. Wester introduced March Mammal Madness to her classes two years ago. Her favorite part of the competition is that it represents something fun in addition to the hard AP curriculum content. A part of the fun is a coveted prize: a stuffed meerkat, kangaroo, or snow leopard.
Whoever has the most points at the end of the tournament will be fortunate enough to add to their stuffed animal collection. Regardless of the outcome, all students are furthering their knowledge of species from across the world while engaging in friendly competition with their peers.