Mammals March Madness – Friends of the Watershed Hydrology Lab pool

Come one, come all to the internet phenom, the most nerdy fun alternative march madness event ever:

Mammals March Madness 2016! http://mammalssuck.blogspot.com/2016/02/mammal-march-madness-2016.html?m=1

Will the snow leopard be upset by the Siberian chipmunk in the first round?* Unlikely. But what happens when the #8 seed Schoolcraft College Ocelots face the #9 seed Quinnipiac Bobcats in the Mascot Mammals division? Who will make the final four? Only science, and a bit of luck, can tell.

If you are on twitter, you can follow the action starting March 7th using the hashtag #2016MMM as the matches are announced live, or you can check back with the post above for updates as the tournament goes on. But the key thing is to go the web page above, print out a bracket and fill it out with your picks for the win. Before the 7th! If you send me a picture/copy of your completed bracket, I’ll track your progress and get a tasty item from Brimfield Bread Oven for the winner of our Kent State pool.

Do we know anything about mammals? Not really. Does that matter? Probably, but Wikipedia, ARKive, and gut instinct let us place our bets anyway.

If this all sounds insane, (it is), ask people like Stuart and Eric who played the last few years and who will vouch for how much fun it is. Or listen to the story that NPR did last year: http://www.npr.org/2015/03/06/391015323/could-a-quokka-beat-a-numbat-oddsmakers-say-yes Or check out the Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal_March_Madness

Pass the link to the tournament along to your friends.

Can the biologists beat the geologists? Will lab alumni beat the current lab members? Can we get the paleontologists on board this year? Will anyone be able to unseat Elisabeth as the champion of long shot (cute) animals that make good?

Check back here for updates as the month progresses.

* No actual animals are harmed in the course of Mammals March Madness. All battles are simulated based on biology and an element of chance.

Results
Stuart Baker won the pool for overall points, while Lauren Kinsman-Costello and I at least got a mammal into the championship. Verdict: Bread for everyone!