copied from the official website
How do I play?
We can only suggest the following for maximal fun and learning. Print out the bracket, predict who will win in each of the match-ups in round one, then round two, and so on and so forth, all the way out to your prediction who wins the championship! Get your friends, colleagues, and/or family to play. Post brackets on wall prominently. Trash talk their selections that depart from yours. Follow along in real time to battle play by plays on Twitter by following hashtag #2023MMM or @MMMletsgo on scheduled bout nights. If twitter isn't your thing, check the facebook page, the blog, or this library guide for updates a couple hours AFTER the bouts conclude for the night (or the next morning)
What do the numbers next to the Mammals mean?
These correspond to the relative rankings among the species. 1 is the highest/best ranked team in the division and 16 is the lowest/worst - the number assigned is referred to as "seeding" but it's functionally interchangeable with ranking (seeded/ranked are therefore also interchangeable).
The single elimination bracket battle favors the strongest teams until you get out to the semi-finals: seed 1 plays (crushes) seed 16, seed 2 plays seed 15, etc. As soon as a species loses, it's out of the tournament (unless it Alt-Advances)!
The single elimination bracket battle favors the strongest teams until you get out to the semi-finals: seed 1 plays (crushes) seed 16, seed 2 plays seed 15, etc. As soon as a species loses, it's out of the tournament (unless it Alt-Advances)!
Are the battles one on one, or do social animals get their buddies?
Typically, battles are one on one. However, in 2017 there was a team: the Neanderthal Hunting Party, which was a small group of hunters working together with Neanderthal technology. In general, assume that the combatants represent the most prime-aged, healthy and strong specimen of that species. Also, just as in nature, there can occasionally be scientifically-grounded outside interference.
Is the battle always to the death?
The battles are NOT always “nature, red in tooth and claw.” Sometimes the winner "wins" by displacing the other at a feeding location, sometimes a powerful animal doesn't attack because it is not motivated to- a few years ago in the “Who in the What Now?” Division we had a dhole lose to a binturong because the night before dhole had gorged on babirusa and the gut passage time of wild canids is 24-48 hours. This meant that the dhole was still full from the night before and unwilling to take the risks of tangling with the binturong. Even a small claw cut or bite wound can get infected and lots of times an animal will back down rather than take a risk for little potential benefit.
What is an "upset"?
This is when a low ranked team beats a high ranked team. 9 beating 8 isn't a super impressive upset. In the actual NCAA tournament, upsets happen when a 12 will beat a 5 or an 11 will beat a 6, once every few years a 15 will beat a 2 in the first round. For example,
“Coming off its 11th national championship the season before, UCLA was ready to make another run through the 1996 NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed. But in his final year as coach, Pete Carril and his 13 seeded Princeton offense got the best of the Bruins, stunning Jim Harrick’s squad in the first round with a last-second basket on a backdoor cut.”
“Coming off its 11th national championship the season before, UCLA was ready to make another run through the 1996 NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed. But in his final year as coach, Pete Carril and his 13 seeded Princeton offense got the best of the Bruins, stunning Jim Harrick’s squad in the first round with a last-second basket on a backdoor cut.”
What is a “Cinderella” team?
A "cinderella" team is a low-ranked team that progresses multiple rounds of the tournament systematically beating higher ranked teams.
So should I always pick the better ranked mammal?No! Real fans don’t abandon their favorite animals just because they are pathetic at this kind of battle (although hopefully well-suited to their particular ecological niche). People will clown you if your bracket is TOO conservative by always picking the better-ranked team.
So should I always pick the better ranked mammal?No! Real fans don’t abandon their favorite animals just because they are pathetic at this kind of battle (although hopefully well-suited to their particular ecological niche). People will clown you if your bracket is TOO conservative by always picking the better-ranked team.
So should I always pick the better ranked mammal?
No! Real fans don’t abandon their favorite animals just because they are pathetic at this kind of battle (although hopefully well-suited to their particular ecological niche). People will clown you if your bracket is TOO conservative by always picking the better-ranked team.
Also the rankings are not infallible and there are upsets in nature too. Upsets are what make March Mammal Madness exciting. Like in 2015 when #3 seed Quokka exited stage left for those sweet burger rings, allowing #14 seed Numbat to advance!!! OMG! WHO SAW THAT COMING!?!?!?!
Also the rankings are not infallible and there are upsets in nature too. Upsets are what make March Mammal Madness exciting. Like in 2015 when #3 seed Quokka exited stage left for those sweet burger rings, allowing #14 seed Numbat to advance!!! OMG! WHO SAW THAT COMING!?!?!?!
Wait, I thought this was a battle of mammals! What are all those #AltMammals doing here?
Did you know that longtime MMM co-organizers Chris Anderson and Josh Drew aren't even mammalogists? Chris is an entomologist and Josh is a marine biologist who primarily studies fish! AND well, apparently people see "cats" everywhere they look. Most importantly, all animals are awesome, so March Mammal Madness puts an asterisk behind 'Mammal.'
I love otters! Can I call them my "spirit animal" without perpetuating racism and settler colonialism?
Most probably not. If you have a deep affinity for an animal, but your identity means you are culturally appropriating when you use the term, there are many options. We suggest: "inner animal", "anima", "emblem", or "animal quiddity/quidditas." #WordNerds