I’m calling Polar Bear for the win! #teampolarbear

 

Hey everyone, it’s that time of year again! Mammal March Madness starts tonight! For those of you who know the drill, I’ll get right to it. If you’ve never played before, scroll to the end of this post for some help.

Go here to download this year’s Mammal March Madness bracket. Then research your animals (or pick randomly) and fill it out. Then, if you are on Twitter, tweet a picture of it with the #2016MMM hashtag. Also, let me know in the comments who you’re calling as this year’s winner.

Now you’re set to go! Just follow the schedule at the end of this post and the #2016MMM hashtag

Some background on MMM from Katie Hinde over at Mammals Suck —

“In honor of the NCAA College Basketball March Madness Championship Tournament, Mammals Suck features an annual tournament of *simulated* combat competition among mammals. Scientific literature is cited to substantiate likely outcomes as a probabilistic function of the two species’ attributes within the battle environment. Attributes considered in calculating battle outcome include temperament, weaponry, armor, body mass, running speed, fight style, physiology, and motivation.

Through the scientific information embedded in the bout descriptions, participants are educated about inter-species interactions, the importance of ecological context, how natural selection has shaped adaptations, and conservation management of endangered species.”

The “battles” will be live Tweeted around 8:30 PM EST according to the schedule below.

FULL SCHEDULE:

Week One

  • 3/7/2016 Wild Card            M
  • 3/8/2016 Chill                     T
  • 3/9/2016 Mascots              W
  • 3/10/2016 Mighty Giants     Th
  • 3/11/2016 Nouns                 F

Week Two

  • 3/14/2016 MG & C              M
  • 3/16/2016 M&N                   W
  • 3/17/2016 Sweet 16            TH

Week Three

  • 3/21/2016 Elite Trait            M
  • 3/22/2016 Final Roar           T
  • 3/24/2016 FINAL BATTLE  TH

NEED HELP?

Some advice from the MMM Team at Mammals Suck

First time playing?

Check out info from 2015, 2014, 2013; the Wikipedia page(thanks Human Person & Brendan McDermott!); and these examples of the amazing radioand print media coverage from 2015.

Educators and Parents —

Follow @2016MMMletsgo. Helmed by a high school senior from the Chicago area, soon on her way to Brown University to be class of 2020, Emma curates only the bout tweets and not spectator #TrashTalk that comes through if you follow the hashtag #2016MMM.

How to fill out your bracket

Alright! Let’s get ready to rumble! May the best mammal win!