Wild Cards Play by Play

Division Arachnida

Brown Recluse vs. Assassin Spider

Location: Pond Shoreline

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Both spiders are carnivores and the first card drawn gave the benefit to those organisms able to acquire lots of food quick... herbivores. Both organisms lost a point. The second card flipped benefited organisms with a soft exoskeleton. Since neither profile card had this information on it, both organisms lost a point again. The third card was a random occurrence that benefited organisms with more than six legs. Both arachnids gained a point from this random occurrence. The final card flipped gave a point to those organisms that had strong appendages to both take down their prey and protect themselves from predators. Although the assassin spider does have some hefty forelimbs it was not mentioned on the profile card. The brown recluse has strong pedipalps that allow it to grab prey and hold it in place. The brown recluse secures the win with an ending score of -1 points.

Division Hexapoda and Myriapoda

Chinese Praying Mantis vs. Hercules Beetle

Location: Desert

Time of day: Day

Description of battle: Two very different organisms were brought to a battlefield that definitely was foreign to them. Luckily no habitat cards were flipped during the battle. The first card flipped gave the beetle the advantage since it was clearly a nocturnal organism. The mantis' night life was unknown and therefore lost the point. The second card helped neither of the organisms since neither is venomous, both lost a point putting the mantis near death at -2 points. The final card was the clincher and once again harmed both organisms. Both the beetle and the mantis create homes to live in in lieu of wandering the habitat for prey. The mantis had all it could take and keeled over making the Hercules beetle the winner with a score of -1 points.

Division Crustacea

Remipedes vs. Skeleton Shrimp

Location: Twilight Zone

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Another one, two, three knockout! The skeleton shrimp could not catch a break. The first card played caused no harm to either organism since neither eats its mate after reproduction. The second card flipped caused harm to the little shrimp since it did not match its habitat. The remipedes love the dark depths of the twilight zone. Another hit followed with a reproduction card and since the remipedes clearly repoduce sexually (as described in the profile card) they gained a point while the skeleton shrimp lost a point for missing information. The final blow came when a random occurrence left the skeleton with a missing appendage. Although the remipede also lost an appendage and could not grow it back it ended the round with +1 point. Remipede wins with +1 point.

Division Mullusca and Cnidaria

Giant Pacific Octopus vs. Fire Jellyfish

Location: Abyss

Time of day: Day

Description of battle: A very unlikely battle between two powerful organisms and a very unlikely location... the abyss. It's daylight up above but you won't be seeing any of the light here in these depths. The battle started out with how each organism would confront a predator and the point going to the more aggressive of the two. The octopus has a retreat method that spares its life while the jellyfish uses its tentacles to sting its predator. The jellyfish gained a point and the octopus lost one. With the second card flipped both organisms and their carnivorous ways gained them each a point. The third card benefited those invertebrates with stingers and although the giant pacific octopus has powerful tentacles with suckers they do not sting. The fire jellyfish has long stinging tentacles and secured the point. The fourth card flipped took a point away from both invertebrates since neither organism fit correctly into the habitat they were battling. Moving forward the octopus made a slight comeback with the fifth card since it clearly had a soft exoskeleton allowing it to cram itself into tight nooks and crannies, the jellyfish didn't benefit and lost a point. Since that was the fifth card a natural disaster card was drawn and a severe temperature change led to hotter waters benefiting the jellyfish with another point. A final card flipped resulted in a random occurrence breaking an appendage of each organism and since neither could grow them back both organisms lost a point. After this exciting battle the fire jellyfish ended up with the win and +1 point for round two!

Round One Battles Play by Play

Division Arachnida

Brown Recluse (-1) vs. Giant Whiptail Scorpion (0)

Location: Pond Shoreline

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Starting off the battle with -1 points, the brown recluse had the advantage of having identical environmental conditions... night time on the pond shoreline. The whip scorpion definitely had a hard time adapting to this very new environment. The battle started off with a random occurrence which harmed both invertebrates. It seems that some of the rocks and crevices around the shore made for a hard place to fight and both fighters lost a limb and since they can't grown them back they both lost a point. This put the brown recluse near death at -2 points. Another card was flipped and since neither invertebrate eats their mate after reproduction neither lost or gained a point. It only took one more card and the game was over. Yet another card that helped either invertebrate but this was the last bout of bad luck for the recluse. With food short on the upper end of the pyramid (carnivores) both organisms struggled to find nutrition, finally doing in the recluse. The Gian Whiptail Scorpion reigns victorious but heads into round 2 with -2 points.

Black Spitting Thick Tail Scorpion (0) vs. Brazilian Wandering Spider (0)

Location: Desert

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: What a battle! Both invertebrates came into this first round with 0 points so there was no advantage there. The first card did not benefit either organism since neither organism recycles or helps with the decomposition of decaying matter. They might both be carnivores but don't you think they could be a little more Earth-friendly? They both received -1 points. Speaking of carnivores, the second card dealt yet another deadly blow to them since herbivores have more access to food and these arachnids are both carnivores. Moving onto the third card with -2 points the third card again dealt a nasty blow to both invertebrates. Both organisms have a tendency to stand their ground when approached by predators and this card gave the point to those organisms that can hide with their surroundings. Technically at this point both organisms were dead but we had to keep moving on to determine a winner for the next round and both organisms had some fight still left in them. The fourth card benefited organisms without venom due to the energy required to manufacture it, and in this case both of these exhausted organisms couldn't even think of making venom... -4 points for each! A final card flipped gave the benefit to those organisms with the lower number of offspring created at a time and this time we had a point scorer. The Brazilian Wandering spider made less offspring than the scorpion securing the win for the spider and moving it to round 2 with -2 points. See the next battle between the Giant Whip Scorpion and Brazilian Wandering Spider, both at -2 points!

Sydney Funnel Web (0) vs. Goliath Bird Eater (0)

Location: Temperate Forest

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Another massive battle between two unlikely contestants. I am going to do a summary of the events since the game went to 15 cards:

• Better to be larger, point to the Goliath!
• Both at the same trophic level on the energy pyramid, took it to the spinner and the funnel web spinner scores the point!
• Better to wait for your prey to find you and the funnel web makes a web, point to the SFW!
• Neither organism practices mating rituals, one point each.
• Both organisms have eight legs and avoided the nasty parasite, no lost points for either.
• A natural disaster, in this case tornado, ripped through the forest and left some shelter for the SFW, Goliath loses another point.
• Neither arachnid eats its partner after the mating is over, 0 points lost for both.
• Both are nocturnal so they both gained a point and then gained another for being sexual reproducers.
• Both lost the next point since neither uses decayed matter for food and then neither gained a point since neither stores food up for tough times.
• The next card flipped was a disaster card and neither organism lost a point since they were able to burrow down underground to avoid the raging fire.
• Both arachnids bite their prey with venomous fangs and they both gained a point and the final card drawn benefited those organisms with quick escape maneuvers. The Goliath throws off barbed hairs at its predators and the Sydney funnel web can stay underwater for many hours, wow! Both get the point.

That was the fifteenth card and at the end both spiders were in the positives with the Goliath at +1 and the SFW at +4. The Sydney Funnel Web wins and moves on to round #2 with +4 points, our highest point scorer so far! Let's see how it fairs against the Arizona bark scorpion with its +3 point score.

Six-Eyed Sand Spider (0) vs. Arizona Bark Scorpion (0)

Location: Pond Shoreline

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Starting off with both 0 points and once again at night on the pond shoreline both the six-eyed sand spider and Arizona bark scorpion were in an environment they definitely did not fit into so well. The first card flipped benefited both of the arachnids since both are pros at hiding away from danger when it shows its fanged face. Moving on to the next card with +1 points each both organisms benefited again since they are venomous and were full of energy to produce plenty of it. The third card knocked both of the fighters down since they produce so few (comparatively) offspring. The scorpion lost a point for producing less than 1,000 offspring at a time and the sand spider had no information regarding numbers of offspring. The next card, a random occurrence where there was a surplus of food, did no damage since neither organism can store additional food when times get tough, they gained 0 points. Another random occurrence was drawn next. While fighting on the shore both organisms got their legs stuck in the rocks and each organism lost a limb... neither could grow them back so they both lost a point. At this point our first natural disaster card was flipped as a tornado ripped through the serene pond setting. Trees were toppled and it created a pile or logs, waiting to rot away .The spider was not benefited from the trees toppled over in the ecosystem (it's a sand spider!) while the scorpion relied very much on them... it is a bark scorpion after all. The spider loses a point and the scorpion loses 0 points. The seventh card flipped benefited the organisms that were nocturnal and since it was nighttime at the pond the scorpion was able to hunt and protect itself from predators it gained yet another point, leaving the sand spider at -1 points. The next card benefited those organisms that actually take to the hunt for their food instead of waiting. Since the sand spider buries itself to wait for their food and the scorpion hunts the scorpion secured the point bringing it to +2 points, while the spider is near death. A final card did the spider in for good and since it has no additional sensory organs (at least on the profile card) it lost yet another point while the scorpion secured its final point. The Arizona bark scorpion moves to round 2 with +3 points!!!

Division Hexapoda and Myriapoda

Trap Jaw Ant (0) vs. Bullet Ant (0)

Location: Rainforest

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: What a perfect location for these two ants! The rainforest houses so many species of ants, in fact you could easily spot upwards of 200 species on just one tree! The bullet ant and trap jaw ant started off with a card that benefited the organism that produced less than 1000 offspring... that didn't go so well for them since they produce many, many thousands of offspring. Negative one to both ants. A random occurrence was drawn next benefiting organisms with sensory organs and since both ants had the parts to get the job done they both scored a point, the score was now zero to zero. We had to take it to the spinner for the next round since both organisms happened to be at exactly the same spot on the energy pyramid. The bullet ant pulled ahead with a higher spin. Since both organisms head out to hunt for their food they both secured a point for the next card and then the next card only benefited the trap jaw ant since it has a symbiotic relationship with another organism. A tight battle with the bullet ant ahead by 1 point! This brought us to a natural disaster which helped the bullet ant keep a strong lead. The drought card that was drawn harmed the trap jaw ant due to its requirements for the environment. The next card benefited the bullet ant since it sometimes eats its own kind... gross! And then a nocturnal vs diurnal card was flipped benefiting only the diurnal organisms, knocking them both back a point. Things weren't looking good for the trap jaw ant and with the next two cards both ants saw losses for being carnivores and making homes. At the end of the tenth card the trap jaw ant had no more left in it and lost the match. The bullet ant reigned victorious with a -1 point standing for round 2.

Giant Amazonian Centipede (0) vs. Goliath Beetle (0)

Location: Pond Shoreline

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Back to the pond shoreline the many-legged centipede was up against a heavyweight beast of a beetle. Six cards determined which of these beasts would be the winner. With the higher trophic level the centipede took the first point while the beetle scored the next point being a nocturnal forager (the centipede's profile card was missing this information). With a tied score the beetle pulled ahead due to its unique hiding abilities and then both organisms stayed put since neither dines on its mate after reproduction. Both organisms were knocked back a point with the next card since neither has unique sensory organs to detect predators... or at least it wasn't listed on their card. With the centipede near death a natural disaster did them both harm but left the centipede drowned by a massive flood. Goliath beetle wins and goes to round 2 with -1 points. Let's see how the beast holds up against the bullet ant!

Puss Caterpillar (0) vs. Hercules Beetle (+1)

Location: House Basement

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Not quite the right setting for either of these monsters and definitely neither are something you would want to stumble across while heading down to the basement! This was a BIG battle, with twelve cards played before a winner was picked. The Hercules Beetle entered this battle with +1 points from the wild card bout. We are going to highlight some of the biggest parts of the battle. The puss caterpillar took the lead with its typical aggressive attacking style in lieu of hiding away and it took yet another point since it is highly venomous, or at least its fluffy hairs are. It looked like the game was over, the Hercules beetle near death and the puss caterpillar with +2 points. The next two cards pulled the beetle out of negative land into zero and the puss caterpillar gained another two points for being sexually reproductive and building a home to live in, the beetle gained the same two points. Now with a +2 to +4 game we were moving! A natural disaster stole a point away from the puss caterpillar. We had hail, in a basement, during the night, I guess anything goes with Invertebrate Insanity! The Hercules beetle's tough exoskeleton kept it safe and sound from the ice chunks. The beetle stole away another point since it can recycle and use decayed matter for food but quickly lost the point when a random occurrence left all six legged creatures with a nasty parasite and negative points. The beetle kicked hard for the next two cards being nocturnal and having super powerful appendages (it is a Hercules beetle after all). The puss caterpillar was now at negative one and the next card dealt a low blow since it did not have sensory organs to sense incoming predators. The eleventh card knocked back the beetle by a point since it was the larger of the two organisms and was less likely to be able to get through tight areas but a final disaster card flipped did the poor caterpillar in. A fire ripped through the basement and the beetle took off with its massive wings leaving the caterpillar to fry. The Hercules Beetle wins and moves to round 2 with +1 points!!

American Giant Water Bug (0) vs. Asian Giant Hornet (0)

Location: House Grasslands

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: We had such high hopes for a substantial battle between these two beasts but the battle ended in just three cards! The hornet didn't give the poor water bug a chance using it's home as a base (+1), using its stinger as defense (+1 again), and then even using some recycled materials as a food source and to build homes (+1 again). The water bug didn't know what hit it and was gone. The Giant Asian Hornet wins with +3 points to move into round 2, watch out Hercules Beetle, this will be a tough one to beat!

Division Crustacea

Remipedes (+1) vs. Coconut Crab (0)

Location: Sunlight Zone - Open Ocean

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: The little remipede definitely had a large opponent to deal with but although the coconut crab is large, it's not venomous! Both organisms scored a point since both are carnivorous but the crab took another point due to its exceedingly hard shell which the remipede does not have. Both organisms lost a point since both of them are not particularly hunting creatures (at least not based on their card) and then they both lost yet another point for not fitting into their habitat. The crab lives on tropical islands typically very sparsely populated with humans and the remipede lives in deep dark caves, deep in the ocean. The remipede lost the next point since it didn't have any unique quick escape appendages and the crab could climb trees! A natural disaster, in this case an oil spill, kept the remipede alive and well deep in the water, and took a point away from the crab. The final card did the poor remipede in since it had no abilities to change color to fit into its surroundings. The crab can't change colors on the spot but adapts to match the colors in its environment. The Coconut Crab for the win moving on to round #2 with +1 points!

Japanese Spider Crab (0) vs. Tasmanian Giant Crab (0)

Location: The Trenches

Time of day: Nighttime (like it matters in the trenches :)

Description of battle: This was a quick battle between two very large crustacea! The Japanese spider crab took the lead with its tendency to head out and hunt for food, leaving the Tasmanian crab waiting for dinner. Since both crabs don't have much for quick escape appendages such as fins or wings they lost the next point together. Neither crab lost a point with a symbiotic relationships card drawn next... neither has a mutualistic relationship. But the next card did one of the crabs in. The habitat played a big role in today's winner and only the Japanese spider crab would enjoy the dark, high-pressured trenches! Spider crab for the win moving on to round #2 with +1 points! Watch the next round for the Coconut crab and Spider crabs big battle!

Zebra Mantis Shrimp (0) vs. Pistol Shrimp (0)

Location: Abyss

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: Deep in the abyss these two shrimps had to face off with what little light was available. The mantis took the lead with it's super strong appendages... even with the pistol shrimps speedy claw the mantis was able to keep the pistol shrimp at bay. The next point also went to the mantis since it makes a home for itself. The following card benefited the smaller of the two and well... they are both shrimps, but the pistol shrimp is the shrimpier of the shrimps. The next card benefited only the organisms with fangs and neither shrimp has those (that's a creepy image). Since neither organism recycles material for food they both lost yet another point but it was the natural disaster that did in one of the shrimps. Sadly it was missing information that ended the show and the pistol shrimp was no more. The mantis shrimp wins but heads into round two with -2 points.

Giant Isopod (0) vs. American Lobster (0)

Location: Sunlight Zone at Middle to High Tide

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: This was a quick battle. Both organisms were in the wrong habitat and that knocked them both back one but the lobster prevailed with its strong crushing claw during another card draw. Leaving the isopod at -2 a final card was flopped and the isopod flopped over. Neither organism can change colors and they both received -1 points. The isopod is dead, the lobster wins and avoids the chowder pot. Lobster moves to round #2 with -1 points! Watch it battle the minute mantis shrimp.

Division Mollusca and Cnidaria

Geographers Cone Snail (0) vs. Flamboyant Cuttlefish (0)

Location: Midnight Zone

Time of day: Nighttime

Description of battle: Deep in the midnight zone two unlikely invertebrates had to battle it out in complete darkness. The battle started off with neither organism wasting their time on fancy mating rituals used to attract a mate, gaining them both a point for staying focused on the task at hand. The snail secured the next point with its nocturnal nature, leaving the cuttlefish back at zero. Both organisms gained a point for being able to hide out and wait for passing predators but the cuttlefish pulled ahead with another point with its unique ability to change colors, making it even harder to find. The habitat card was drawn next and the midnight zone is definitely not the right fit for either organism. Then as disaster struck the temperature of the water got even colder and both organisms suffered the consequences. The up and down battle continued on with the snail gaining the next point due to its mobile home that it carries with it, and builds, throughout its life. Neither organism had any quick escape appendages listed on their profile card so they both lost a point there and then both benefited from the rigid exoskeleton card being drawn, keeping them safe and sound from any future disasters or predators. It was the final two cards that determined the game as both organisms lost points for being high up on the energy pyramid and then the final card dealt the death blow to the cuttlefish due to the cone snail's highly venomous stinger. The cone snail took the title with +1 points to move on to round #2!

Portuguese Man O' War (0) vs. Mimic Octopus (0)

Location: Sunlight Zone (open ocean)

Time of day: Nighttime

Description of battle: Officially the longest battle we can (15 cards) have with Invertebrate Insanity, this was an intense fight with some surprising results. Due to the battle's size, I am going to summarize some key points below, to make things easier let's call the Portuguese Man O' War PMW and call the Mimic Octopus MI:

• Super strong appendages like claws: PMW -1 MI -1
• Large vs small, smaller wins: PMW -1 MI +1
• Venom vs Non venomous with venom being good: PMW +1 MI -1
• Quick escape body parts or appendages: PMW -1 MI +1
• Stingers vs biters with it being better to sting: PMW +1 MI -1

You can see that the battle went back and forth for quite some time to start off the match. A temperature change with warmer waters helped both the invertebrates out next and then a food chain card benefiting herbivores took away that very point from both organisms. Let's go back to the summaries for a bit:

• Symbiotic relationships are good: PMW is a massive symbiotic relationship +1 MI -1
• Nocturnal organisms: PMW is cathemeral 0 MI is nocturnal +1
• Sexual organisms get a point: PMW +1 MI +1
• Natural disaster #2 - Tsunami: PMW and MI both lost a point due to their tentacles
• Neither were hunters as much as waiters so they both lost a point
• The mimic octopus could change color / pattern so +1 for it, -1 for the PMW

Finally, a random occurrence left them both with no points lost but the PMW had -2 points at this point and the MI had -1 points. Neither of their softer exoskeletons matched the next card where it was better to have a hard shell or rigid exoskeleton and they both lost the point. The Portuguese Man O' War, one of the all around favorites lost the battle in round 1. The Mimic Octopus is the victor and moves to round #2 with -1 points! Let's see how the mimic octopus handles the cone snail in the next round.

Vampire Squid from Hell (0) vs. Sea Wasp (0)

Location: Midnight Zone

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: Another lengthy battle as it seemed that all of the Mollusca and Cnidaria battles were longer than the other divisions. The vampire squid made a 1, 2, 3 punch at the start with gaining points for the lack of mating rituals, not wasting time making homes, and having a soft exoskeleton. The sea wasp was only inches behind at a total score of +1 points and the sea wasp continued its rally with gaining two more points for its stinging abilities and unique sensory organs to detect prey (lot's of eyes!). A tsunami knocked both of the battlers back a point and then the sea wasp took the lead with its diurnal nature. Luckily for the squid, we were deep enough in the ocean for a good habitat fit and it was able to keep in the match. Since both organisms reproduce sexually only they lost the next point together and since neither can change color completely they lost yet another point. With a score of -1 for the vampire squid and -1 for the sea wasp it was a tight game. The next card flipped led to another point missing for the jellyfish since it was higher up on the energy pyramid and the final card did the sea wasp in since it produces so many offspring. The Vampire Squid from Hell wins and moves on to round #2 with +1 points!

Blue ringed octopus (0) vs. Fire Jellyfish (-1)

Location: Abyss

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: Yet another massive battle for two organisms in the wrong habitat, but they definitely stood their ground. The first card gave them both points for their venomous stings and bites and directly after that the little blue ringed octopus scored a point for having its tough rubbery skin to protect itself from the fire jelly's stings. The fire jelly tied it up since it can reproduce sexually and the blue ringed didn't have the correct information. The third card was the habitat card, and as predicted both organisms didn't fit so well and lost the point. Since both of the organisms are equipped with quick escape mechanisms they gained the next point together and then a natural disaster changed the temperature of the water and only benefited the jelly, who likes warm water (the blue ringed didn't have anything listed about temperature of water). The jellyfish pulled ahead again with its hunting methods to get food and then lost the next point with the energy pyramid card. Both organisms were at the same trophic level and we had to take it to the spinner. At this point the fire jelly was weak and could not stand up to the little pipsqueak octopus. The octopus' nasty bite left the jelly paralyzed and the tiny size allowed the octopus to hide away from predators as the jelly sat helpless in the water. Finally the octopus used its tiny but strong tentacles to end the game. The Blue Ringed Octopus wins and moves on to round #2 with +1 points! Let's see how the mini beast handles the vampire squid from hell!

Round Two Battles Play by Play

Division Arachnida

Giant Whip Scorpion (-2) vs. Brazilian Wandering Spider (-2)

Location: Temperate Forest

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Both organisms entered the arena (a temperate forest) with -2 points. All it would take is one card to knock one out of the battle permanently and that is what happened. The card was flipped and those with stingers or tails benefited over those with only sharp biting fangs. The Whip Scorpion moves on to round #3 with -1 points!

Sydney Funnel Web Spider (+4) vs. Arizona Bark Scorpion (+3)

Location: Rainforest

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: This was a hefty battle between two formidable opponents. Both invertebrates arrived with multiple points to start the battle off but only one moves on to round #3. It took fourteen cards to determine the winner! Let's break it down for a play by play:

• Both organisms had unique sensory organs to help detect predators on the prowl, +1 points each
• The bark scorpion didn't fit so well into its rainforest habitat giving the SFW the point
• Both carnivores gained the point for the next card since they get so much energy from their meals
• Neither can reproduce asexually so they both lost a point on the next card
• The bark scorpion goes out to hunt its food so it gained the next point leaving the SFW there to wait for a meal to stumble along
• A fire ripped through the rainforest during the next card and both invertebrates burrowed down to avoid the flames, no points lost
• The bark scorpions stinger took a whack at the SFW and did some heavy damage, one point to the bark scorpion!
• SFW took the next point with its unique ability to disjoint itself to trick predators into thinking they got the whole deal, one point taken from the scorpion
• Both venomous creatures lost a point on the next card since they had to take the time to make more venom
• Neither organism had information on the toughness of their exoskeleton and they both lost the next point
• A tornado ripped through the fire ravaged rainforest destroying all the good hiding spots under fallen timbers... both lost a point.
• Both lost yet another point since neither uses recycled material to make ends meet
• Finally, with the bark scorpion near death the final card did it in since it doesn't make a home to escape to.

The Sydney Funnel Web wins with 0 points moving into round #3! Watch it battle the Giant Whiptail Scorpion at -1 points.

Division Hexapoda and Myriapoda

Bullet Ant (-1) vs. Goliath Beetle (-1)

Location: Mountain Slope

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: A one, two punch and a winner was determined with this battle. Both invertebrates came in with -1 points and the first card didn't help out the bullet ant. The Goliath beetle will climb trees rapidly or bury itself in the soil when confronted by a predator... we don't really know what the bullet ant does based upon its profile card. The next card was a random occurrence and since neither organism can regenerate limbs they both lost the point. The Goliath Beetle wins and moves to round #3 with -1 points!

Giant Asian Hornet (+3) vs. Hercules Beetle (+1)

Location: Mountain Slope

Time of day: Night

Description of battle: Yet another 15 card battle to determine the invertebrate that moves on to round #3. It was an amazing battle between two large and powerful creatures and by the end neither had died, but a winner had to be chosen. The beetle had the advantage coming into the battle with +1 point. Let's look at the highlights of the battle:

• The Hercules took the first point since it had not additional sensory organs to get in the way of the battle, the hornet lost the point.
• They both wait for their food to arrive so they both gained the next point.
• Only the hornet fit into its habitat so it gained the next point
• Neither organism is herbivorous nor omnivorous so they both lost a point
• Disaster struck and this time it was a raging flood down the mountain slope! Neither organism can swim so they both lose the point.
• Neither organism can reproduce asexually so yet another point gone for both!
• At this point in the battle, both organisms were struggling to survive and with the next card, stingers vs biters, flipped the beetle took the lead with its powerful bite.
• A random occurrence left both the fighters infected with a new parasite due to their number of legs.
• Then they both gained a point with their quick escaping (or not so quick for the massive beetle) wings.
• The beetle's nocturnal nature gained it a point for the next card.
• A hail storm on the mountain slope harmed neither organism with their tough exoskeletons.
• Neither organism claimed to have venom so they didn't need to waste energy making it, point for both.
• Only the beetle recycles material so the point went to him.
• The final card flipped gave the point to the hornet that tied it up and the winner had to be determined by a spin on the spinner, the higher number went to the hornet and it goes to round 3 with +2 points. The Hercules beetle loses to the Giant Asian Hornet by +1 point, hornet moves into round #3 with +2 points! Looks like we are going to have a bee / beetle battle for round #3! Who will it be, the Giant Asian Hornet or the HERCULES?

Division Crustacea

Coconut Crab (+1) vs. Japanese Spider Crab (+1)

Location: Open Ocean

Time of day: Daylight

Description of battle: Yet another lengthy battle... and one with a surprising result. Both came into the battle with +1 points. We had to go to 15 cards again for this battle so I am going to summarize the key points:

• Coconut crab (CC) was able to avoid predation by its speeding crab claw and tree climbing skills, +1 for CC
• Both CC and the Japanese Spider Crab (JSC) are omnivores, +1 each
• Neither had information on how many offspring they have at once, -1 point
• Neither is venomous, -1 point
• The JSC can grow back limbs that it has lost getting it the next point during our random occurrence, the CC loses the point.
• A hurricane does no damage to either due to their hard shells
• The JSC helps recycle waste and dead stuff, point for it!
• The CC with its ability to go anywhere and find food gets the point for the next card
• We didn't know the hunting nature of the CC, -1 point, and the JSC supposedly stalks its prey when needed
• An oil spill effected neither organism due to their tendency to stay on the ocean bottom
• Both organisms are massive but in this case the CC was smaller in length and gained the point.
• Both gained the next point with their hard exoskeletons
• The CC is cathemeral (both diurnal and nocturnal) and the JSC is nocturnal. JSC loses a point
• Our final card takes a point from both competitors and determines our winner. The Coconut Crab ends with exactly 0 points and the Japanese Spider Crab takes the round with +1 points!

Zebra Mantis Shrimp (-2) vs. American Lobster (-1)

Location: Midnight Zone

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: A battle that wasn't meant to last too long. These two crustacea went head to head and one card determined the winner. The card flipped benefited the organism without a rigid exoskeleton and since both crustaceans have a pretty hard shell they both lost the point. The American Lobster wins and moves into round #3 with -2 points! Let's see how the little lobster fairs against the gargantuan Japanese Spider Crab.

Division Mollusca and Cnidaria

Geographers Cone Snail (+1) vs. Mimic Octopus (-1)

Location: Sunlight Zone during low tide

Time of day: Nighttime

Description of battle: Another massive battle between two unlikely fighters, the cone snail came into the fight with +1 points and the mimic octopus, on the tails of a miraculous win against the Portuguese Man O' War entered the arena with -1 points. There was not much water for the fighters to move around in, but they were at least both adapted to make the best of what they had. Let's summarize this one since it went to fifteen cards:

• Both lose a point since they are both carnivores
• Both gain a point for being sexually reproductive
• Random occurrence left the cone snail in trouble without tentacles, mimic gets the point
• Both prefer to hide from predators getting them a point
• Both can fit into the habitat getting them both a point again
• A tsunami ripped through the low tide area but their tentacles and single feet helped hold tight during the worst of it, no points lost
• Neither has sensory organs to get grabbed at by predators so they both gain the point
• Neither has a beneficial symbiotic relationship, 0 points each
• Both are carnivores and neither buys into the recycling dead stuff program, -1 points each
• Cone snails stinger gets it a point!
• Neither has unique mating rituals so they both get the point
• The cone snail and mimic octopus are at the same trophic level so we had to take it to the spinner, the spin went to the favor of the cone snail
• Cone snail scores the next point for being the smaller of the two fighters
• A severe temperature change harmed both organisms making the water too cold to fight
• The final card was the one that finally determined the winner, the cone snails venomous spur left the mimic octopus with the final scar. The mimic octopus ends with +3 points but the cone snail ends with +7 points. Cone snail wins and moves to round #3 with +7 points!!!!!

Vampire Squid From Hell (+1) vs. Blue Ringed Octopus (0)

Location: Spray Zone (right on the shore)

Time of day: Daylight

Description of battle: We had to go to the ninth card to determine the winner of this battle. It was a significant fight between the small and venomous and the not so small and crafty. The Vampire Squid from Hell (VSH) went into the battle with +1 points. A random occurrence added another point for each organism and then the VSH's lower trophic level gave it yet another point. Neither makes a home and instead wanders the ocean, so they both gained a point there but the venomous bite of the BRO gained it a well deserved point following. No information was provided on when they are most active, diurnal or nocturnal, so they both lost a point and then a natural disaster effected neither organism since the oil spill moved towards the shore and the octopuses moved into the deeper water. Both organisms only reproduce sexually so they missed the point there and then a random occurrence did neither animal well since they both do not have the ability to store extra food, they both get 0 points. The final card drawn was all the BRO could take and both organisms lost the point since they both wait for their food to arrive instead of hunting it. That last card did, the Vampire Squid From Hell wins with +1 points to go to the next round! How will it fair against the Geographers Cone Snail?

Round Three Battles Play by Play

Division Arachnida

Giant Whiptail Scorpion (-1) vs. Sydney Funnel Web Spider (0)

Location: In the basement, ahhh!!!

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: The final battle in the arachnida division and it was a quick one. Both organisms were out during the daylight, in the basement nonetheless, and were easy to spot by the occupants of the home... not good news if you see a big broom coming down on your head! Minus one point for each. The Sydney Funnel Web made a quick escape to its web to avoid any other wallops and the whip scorpion met its final match. No home = no more scorpion. Game over and the Sydney Funnel Web Spider moves to the final round with 0 points.

Division Hexapoda and Myriapoda

Goliath Beetle (-1) vs. Giant Asian Hornet (+2)

Location: The Grasslands

Time of day: Nighttime

Description of battle: A big battle!! These two beasts put up one heck of a fight to close out the final round for the hexapoda and myriapoda division. Neither wasted time with mating rituals to start so they both moved ahead and their ability to reproduce sexually gained them yet another point. A third card having to do with reproduction, eating one's mate at the end of the show, was flipped and they both don't do that nasty stuff so they both gained a point. That was the end of the run of double + points. The beetle lost a point for hiding while the hornet was ready for the attack and then the beetle gained a point for being a good recycler. A flood ripped through the grasslands nearly drowning both combatants. Then a virus got both of them sick. Moving on the hornets large stinger gave it an extra point and then another point for building a nest as a home. A point was lost when the hornet's daytime nature was brought to light and then they both lost a point for not listing the amount of offspring they produce during reproduction... guess they want that to be kept private. A tornado ripped through the grasslands and left neither damaged since neither relied entirely on the fallen trees that were produced by the tornado. A final card was flipped and since neither organism can change color when they want they both lost a point rendering the Goliath beetle dead! The Hornet moves on to the final round with +1 points! Let's see how it battles the Sydney Funnel Web Spider.

Division Crustacea

Japanese Spider Crab (+1) vs. American Lobster (-2)

Location: Spray Zone on the shore

Time of day: Nighttime

Description of battle: Not really prime habitat for either organism but these spiny-legged crustys made the best of it. The lobster, coming in with -2 points had little to no chance against the behemoth spider crab with +1 point. They both recycle matter so they both ended up securing the first point pulling the lobster out of near death. A random occurrence gave neither of them a parasite due to their many legs and then with a surprising turn they were tied up when the spider crab's ocean-wandering habits were exposed while the lobster makes burrows in the ground for homes. They both then went into the negative since they both hunt their prey. Bringing back to zero they both have hard exoskeletons that protect them, so they both moved on positively from there. A severe temperature change in the ocean took a point away from both... the water got colder, both of these organisms live in cold waters, too bad the information was missing on the profile card. They lost yet another point due to missing information on the profile card. Both have sensory organs keeping them safe from predators but it wasn't listed. Now at -1 for both where would the battle go? Strong biters secured the point and the lobsters grinding teeth gained the point there. The battle raged on and with both of their super strong claws we had to take it to the spinner, the lobster got the point with the higher spin. Then again to the spinner for the trophic level of each organism, the spider crab got that point keeping it at -2 and out of the dead zone. An oil spill caused no harm since they were both on land avoiding the deep water oil spill and then finally the final card did it, neither organism had a unique quick escape method listed (the lobster actually does have on up its... tail) and they both lost a point. The Spider Crab is dead! The American Lobster moves to the final round with -2 points.

Division Mollusca and Cnidaria

Geographers Cone Snail (+7) vs. Vampire Squid From Hell (+2)

Location: Midnight Zone

Time of day: Daylight

Description of battle: Our final battle for round 3 was between two very different mollusks. The Geographers Cone Snail surprisingly ended up here in the third round with +7 points. A total underdog in the invertebrate insanity battles and the highest point scorer so far! The Vampire Squid From Hell was a favorite among some but was definitely not the main competitor expected to be in this battle. With +2 points the squid had a improbable chance of winning but the first card started off in the favor of the squid. Since the VSFH doesn't need to hunt but instead uses detritus it gained the point and it gained the next point with its soft flexible exoskeleton. Neither lost a point with a random occurrence that only harms six-legged organisms. The snail scored the next point with a higher trophic level and then it scored another point with its powerful, venomous stinger. A disaster struck harming neither since they could hold tight with tentacles and single feet while the tsunami raged overhead. Then the VSFH scored yet another point for its jets and fins to escape predators. The snail gained the next point for being smaller and able to hide easier in its shell. Then they both scored a point for avoiding the mating rituals. Only the vampire squid fit into the habitat so it gained the point there and then they both lost a point for not listing if they are nocturnal or diurnal. The squid gained a point for helping recycle waste material and then gained another one for its awesome ability to scare off predators with its glowing eyes, spiked tips under its arms and scary posture. They both lost a point for not being able to reproduce asexually and then a severe temperature change gave yet another point to the VSFH. Neither had sensory organs so they both lost points there and finally the final card determined the winner. Both organisms are omnivores and they gained the point for their eating habits. We had to total up the final score since neither organism died. The Cone Snail ended with +2 points and the Vampire Squid ended with +5! A major upset the Vampire Squid From Hell moves to the final round with +5 points. Watch it during the final battle against the American lobster at -2 points.

Championship Battles Play by Play

Invertebrates of the Sea

American Lobster (-2) vs. Vampire Squid from Hell (+5)

Location: Midnight Zone

Time of day: Daytime

Description of battle: The final fight for the invertebrates of the sea and it was a fantastic one! The American lobster, a total underdog, worked its way up to the top and somehow made it through the previous round starting off at -2 points... and here it is again with -2 points. The Vampire Squid started off with a hefty +5 points after beating the Geographers Cone Snail after having a five point disadvantage. The first card that came out gave the point to the larger lobster. Surprisingly the vampire squid isn't a large organism only reaching lengths of 28 cm. The next card benefited the squid since it has jets and fins to escape opponents and predators. The lobster's strong claw gave it the next point and then they both gained a point for producing prolific numbers of offspring during reproduction... carrying on their species. The lobster's tough grinding teeth won the next card and then a hurricane damaged both of the organisms since they do not have a shell (yes the lobster has a tough exoskeleton but we were looking for a shell to bunker down in). The lobster's 3 stomachs scored it the next point since it can store extra food for longer periods of time and then they both lost a point for being nocturnal creatures. The lobster was able to bunker down in its burrow to gain the next point but was unable to grow back a limb after getting it stuck in a rock... the squid also was unable to regenerate the limb. Since both creatures reproduce sexually they are insuring that the gene pool continues to be mixed up, a point to both. The Vampire did its flip into a pineapple trick and make my fake eyes glow thing to scare off the approaching lobster gaining it the point since the lobster retreated to its burrow. A significant temperature change in the ocean led to an additional point for the squid and then they both scored a point for being good recyclers. Finally, the lobster scored the last point for being higher up on the energy pyramid but it wasn't enough. Although the lobster did an amazing job with two significantly deficit rounds it ended with +2 and the Vampire Squid wins the championship round with +4 points!!!

Invertebrates of the Land

Asian Giant Hornet (+1) vs. Sydney Funnel Web Spider (0)

Location: Desert

Time of day: Nighttime

Description of battle: The final battle in the invertebrates of the land bracket and it was also a big one! The Asian Giant Hornet started off with +1 points, while the Sydney Funnel Web Spider began the round with 0 points. Both organisms are carnivorous or omnivorous scoring the point for each. The venom of the SFW gained it yet another point bringing it up to a tight battle. The larger hornet gained the next point for being the bigger battler in the fight and then it used its massive stinger to scare off the approaching spider. Neither had a mutual relationship to help out during the battle and then a flood ripping through the desert gave the spider the advantage. The SFW can stay underwater for hours if needed and the hornet could only hover in place getting soaked and damaging its wings. Saving some energy after the flood the spider was able to wait for its food to end up stumbling into its web. Both organisms didn't have sensory organs listed so they both gained a point and then the hornet got the next point for its powerful stinger. Neither would gain a point since neither have claws and we decided to take to the spinner to see who would lose and gain the point for the card. The hornet got the higher spin and won the point. A hail storm battered both of their exoskeletons pretty bad and then the spider took the final positive point of the game. Was it enough?

Nope! The Giant Asian Hornet wins with +1 points!!

The Giant Asian Hornet and the Vampire Squid From Hell are our two champions. The Vampire Squid from Hell is the Ultimate Champion with +4 points!! - Thanks for making our first year of Invertebrate Insanity so much fun and keep an eye out for the 2020 Invertebrate Insanity In-May Tournament!