How Animal Matchups Are Scored
Seven derived combat traits (size and mass, mobility, weapon effectiveness, durability, endurance, aggression, and intelligence) determine every matchup score on Beastsora. This page explains how each trait is measured, what data sources are used, and how uncertainty is handled.
Data Sources
Animal profiles on Beastsora draw from structured zoological research including peer-reviewed literature, IUCN Red List assessments, NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and Smithsonian Institution data.
Where possible, primary scientific records such as specimen archives are also consulted. This includes museum collections such as Te Papa Tongarewa for deep-sea specimens, Encyclopaedia Britannica, San Diego Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo, and regional wildlife agency datasets.
For each species, quantitative metrics (weight, speed, bite force) are sourced from primary scientific literature. Authoritative conservation databases provide status, range, and ecology. Popular figures cited without peer-reviewed backing are flagged and treated with lower confidence.
How We Handle Unknown Values
Beastsora does not fabricate or estimate values where none exist in the scientific record.
For many species, particularly deep-sea animals, filter feeders, and species with limited captive study, reliable measurements for speed and bite force simply do not exist. Forcing a numeric value in these cases creates false precision and misleading comparisons.
When a metric is listed as Unknown, it means no defensible value has been published in primary literature. When listed as Not applicable (e.g., bite force for baleen whales and manta rays), the concept does not apply to that species' biology.
- ✓Top speed for leopard seal, walrus, shortfin mako, and tiger shark: not established in primary literature. Shown as Unknown.
- ✓Bite force for blue whale: not applicable (baleen filter feeder). Shown as Not applicable.
- ✓Colossal squid weight: 495 kg based on verified Te Papa specimen, shown with source context.
- ✓African elephant top speed: corrected to 24.5 km/h (6.8 m/s) based on peer-reviewed kinematic data (Hutchinson et al., 2006). Popular 40 km/h figures are not peer-reviewed.
- ✓Bite force for all sharks and walrus in this dataset: PSI is not a routine or comparable metric in primary literature for these species. Stored and displayed as Unknown.
Comparison Scoring
The comparison engine estimates how two species might perform in a direct encounter based on biological capabilities documented in zoological research.
Scores are calculated across seven derived combat traits. Each trait is weighted and combined into a probability estimate. These are not raw measurements but derived capabilities, each calculated from underlying biological data before scoring.
Derived Trait Weights
About the Strength Concept
Earlier versions of the model used a single "Strength" category. The current model distributes physical force output across three derived traits: Size & Mass (body mass and physical presence), Mobility (speed and positioning ability, which determines how effectively force can be applied), and Weapons (bite force and weapon effectiveness). These are scored separately because they respond differently to environment modifiers and contribute to combat outcomes in distinct ways. There is no single raw "strength" field in the animal dataset.
When speed data is unavailable for both animals in a comparison, the mobility trait is scored as an equal tie rather than assigning an arbitrary default. When only one animal lacks speed data, the unknown animal receives a conservative neutral score rather than a zero, to avoid systematically penalising species with limited field measurements.
Similarly, bite force is incorporated into weapon effectiveness only when a reliable PSI estimate exists. For species without PSI data, weapons are scored from weapon variety and attack type alone. This means filter feeders and deep-sea species are not penalised for the absence of an inapplicable measurement.
Comparison outputs are modelled probability estimates, not literal fight outcomes. They reflect the statistical tendency across average adult specimens under the selected environment. Individual animals, behavioural contexts, and real-world conditions will always vary.
Confidence Levels
Where research quality varies, animal profiles include per-metric confidence labels:
Behavioural estimates (aggression, intelligence) carry inherently greater uncertainty than physical measurements. They represent expert-calibrated ordinal scores and should not be interpreted as precise empirical values.
Profile Quality Labels
Key Reference Sources
The following organisations and datasets are commonly referenced when compiling species profiles and biological metrics.
Conservation & Species Databases
- •IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: conservation status, population ecology
- •IUCN SSC Specialist Groups (Cat, Crocodile, Polar Bear): species accounts and threat assessments
- •NOAA Fisheries: marine and anadromous species profiles
- •FishBase: elasmobranch and fish species data (maximum sizes, status)
- •BirdLife International (Datazone): avian IUCN assessments and range data
- •Florida Museum of Natural History: elasmobranch species profiles and shark attack data
Natural History Institutions
- •Encyclopaedia Britannica: species summaries and verified record data
- •National Geographic: species profiles and ecological summaries
- •Smithsonian National Zoo and Smithsonian Ocean: captive and wild weight/size data, marine species profiles
- •San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: species biology and captive weight data
- •Te Papa Tongarewa: colossal squid specimen records
- •Cornell Lab of Ornithology (All About Birds): North American bird measurements and ecology
- •Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan): mammal and reptile species accounts
- •MarineBio Conservation Society: marine species profiles
- •BBC Science Focus: comparative bite force compilation data
Government & Conservation Agencies
- •U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: species biology and recovery data
- •U.S. National Park Service: species fact sheets and size data
- •Alaska Department of Fish and Game: walrus and moose species profiles
- •National Wildlife Federation: mammal species guides
- •WWF (World Wildlife Fund): conservation status and species ecology
- •COSEWIC, NAMMCO: Atlantic walrus population assessments
- •Norwegian Polar Institute: Arctic and marine mammal data
- •New Zealand Department of Conservation: Southern Ocean and endemic species
- •International Whaling Commission: cetacean ecology and population assessments
Peer-Reviewed Literature
- •Hutchinson et al. (2006), Nature: elephant locomotor kinematics and verified maximum speed
- •Erickson et al. (2012), PLOS ONE: crocodilian bite force measurements
- •Svendsen et al. (2016), Journal of Experimental Biology: barracuda swimming speed
- •Born et al. (2014), Polar Biology: walrus swimming speed