March Mammal Madness

The 2016 Logo for Mammal March Madness designed by Cyn Rudzis.

Mammal March Madness is an alternate March Madness tournament focusing on simulated combat between non-human mammals, instead of college basketball. The bracket is run by a team of evolutionary biologists, using science and probability to determine the outcomes of the fights. The goal of Mammal March Madness is to provide a fun and exciting way to spread scientific knowledge about the competing animals, as well as awareness for animal conservation.

History

March Mammal Madness dates back to 2013, when founder Katie Hinde discovered a Buzzfeed Animal Madness bracket online. She was disappointed to find it only contained 16 animals and that the outcomes were based solely on their cuteness, rather than science. In response she created Mammal March Madness, containing a 64 animal bracket with the goal of mixing fun narrated battles with scientific research of the many species involved.

Katie Hinde, an assistant professor of human evolution at Harvard, later brought in three other educators to help her organize the event. This includes assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine Kristi Lewton, lecturer at Columbia University Joshua Drew, and assistant professor at Dominican University Christopher Anderson. Together, they heavily research all of the combatants, using what they learn to provide an entertaining and informative experience.

Bracket

The bracket itself is modeled after the NCAA championship, including an Elite Eight and a Final Four. The bracket is divided into four divisions, which change yearly. The 64 animals are chosen and put into the various divisions based on their characteristics. In the 2015 bracket, the chosen divisions were Mighty Mini Mammals, Mythical Mammals, Critically Endangered Mammals, and Sexy Beasts. Mammals such as the dwarf mongoose and the Java mouse-deer were chosen for the Mighty Mini Mammals, while legendary beasts such as Ratatoskr and the Yeti battled it out in the Mythical Mammals. The mammals compete against others in their division, eventually working their way down to the Final Four (one from each division), and finally the championship.

Battles

The battles are decided by a mix of scientific research, and an element of chance. Katie Hinde and the Mammal March Madness organizing team do in-depth research on the mammal contestants. Temperament, diet, social behavior, environment, size, and fight style are just a few of the factors that are taken into consideration. After these factors are weighed against each other, Hinde and the rest determine probability of one animal defeating another. This is how they develop the seed, or rank, of each mammal. Then a 100 sided die is rolled with a determined percentage numbers attributed to each animal. This adds an element of chance, since out in nature nothing is 100% guaranteed. For the first round, each fight takes place in the environment of the higher seeded animal. After that, it is chosen at random.

Combining research with an element of chance has led to some major upsets, just like with any sports bracket. In round one of the 2015 Mighty Mini Mammal division, the 14th-seeded numbat defeated the 3rd-seed quokka. The research is then used to create a narrative to explain the loss. The narratives can range from a serious battle, to humorous happenstance. In 2014, research showed the pangolin to be the most trafficked animal on the planet. Before the match even began, the pangolin was captured by poachers and shipped away, forfeiting the fight. Each round has a scheduled day and time, found on Katie Hinde's blog, Mammals Suck... Milk!.

Instead of just announcing the winners, the written narratives are live-tweeted like the match was happening that very moment. Fans can follow along and tweet back using the designated Mammal March Madness hashtag, creating a fun and exciting atmosphere where people can learn about the animals they support.

Past battle outcomes

All past battle outcomes and play by plays of the battles can be found on Mammals Suck… Milk!.

All tables begin with round two, after the first elimination. If no animals advanced the cell is grey, if the animal was the champion the cell is gold.

2013

Divisions: Carnivores, Primates, Grazers and Browsers, and Hodge Podge

Division	Round 2	Sweet Sixteen	Elite Eight	Final Four	Semi-Finals	Champion
Carnivores	Tiger, honey badger, river otter, elephant seal, hyena, lion, leopard seal, polar bear	Honey badger, elephant seal, lion, polar bear	Elephant seal, polar bear	Elephant seal
Primates	Gorilla, Hanuman langur, hamadryas, Anubis baboon, gelada, chimp, uakari, orangutan	Gorilla, Anubis baboon, chimp, orangutan	Gorilla, chimp	Gorilla
Grazers/Browers	Elephant, oryx, tapir, bison, moose, hippo, elk, rhino	Elephant, bison, hippo, rhino	Elephant, hippo	Elephant	Elephant	Elephant
Hodge Podge	Kangaroo, platypus, armadillo, possum, flying fox, warthog, sloth, koala	Armadillo, kangaroo, warthog, sloth	Kangaroo, warthog	Warthog	Warthog

Animals who did not advance to round two: ferret, wolverine, leopard, meerkat, coyote, fennec fox, Tasmanian devil, island fox, dik-dik, camel, wildebeest, gerenuk, reindeer, gazelle, giraffe, duiker, shrew, anteater, wombat, ground squirrel, capybara, sugar glider, red panda, tenrec, naked mole rat, dusky titi monkey, rhesus macaque, lemur catta, bush baby, capuchin, tamarin, red colobus, marmoset.

2014

Divisions: Social Mammals, Marine Mammals, Who In The What Now, and Fossil Mammals

Division	Round 2	Sweet Sixteen	Elite Eight	Final Four	Semi-Finals	Champion
Social Mammals	Hyena. musk ox, hamadryas, mandrill, Ethiopian wolf, Tibetan macaque, African wild dogs, army ants	Hyena, African wild dogs, musk ox, army ants	Hyena, musk ox	Hyena	Hyena	Hyena
Marine Mammals	Orca, sea lion, walrus, humpback whale, bowhead whale, oceanic whitetip shark, dwarf sperm whale, polar bear	Polar bear, orca, humpback whale, oceanic whitetip shark	Orca, oceanic whitetip shark	Orca	Orca
Who In The What Now	Dhole, binturong, cassowary, caracal, saiga, wallaroo, fossa, babirusa	Babirusa, wallaroo, binturong, dhole	Babirusa, binturong	Babirusa
Fossil Mammals	Mastodon, Paraceratherium, woolly rhino, short-faced bear, giant hyena (Pachycrocuta), sabertooth cat, giant ground sloth, Neanderthal	Mastodon, Paraceratherium, woolly rhino, giant ground sloth	Paraceratherium, mastodon	Paraceratherium

Animals who did not advance to round two: titi monkey, dingo, meerkat, beaver, marmot, bush dog, hyrax, bandicoot, fisher, saki, Sunda colugo, pangolin, echidna, olinguito, mara, A. afarensis, A. sediba, dire wolf, aurochs, giant giraffid, megalania, rhino wombat, giant baboon, Godzilla platypus, sea otter, beluga whale, harbor seal, river dolphin, hooded seal, ringed seal, narwhal, manatee.

2015

Divisions: Mighty Minis, Critically Endangered, Mythical Mammals, and Sexy Beasts

Division	Round 2	Sweet Sixteen	Elite Eight	Final Four	Semi-Finals	Champion
Mighty Minis	Fennec fox, desert rain frog, pygmy rabbit, tenrec, pygmy marmoset, numbat, Java mouse-deer, dwarf mongoose	Fennec fox, tenrec, numbat, dwarf mongoose	Tenrec, dwarf mongoose	Dwarf mongoose	Dwarf mongoose
Critically Endangered	Sumatran rhino, tenkile, Visayan warty pig, crested black macaque, Iberian lynx, Mediterranean monk seal, northern muriqui, tamaraw	Sumatran rhino, crested black macaque, Mediterranean monk seal, tamaraw	Sumatran rhino, tamaraw	Sumatran rhino	Sumatran rhino	Sumatran rhino
Mythical Mammals	Cath Palug, Unicorn, Rougarou, Yeti, Leucrocotta, Ratatoskr, Vanara Hanuman, Minotaur	Cath Palug, Yeti (now a Were-Yeti), Leucrocotta, Minotaur	Were-Yeti, Minotaur	Were-Yeti
Sexy Beasts	Amphicyonidae, lion, Daeodon, brown bear, wolverine, Gigantopithecus, kangaroo, elephant seal	Amphicyonidae, brown bear, Gigantopithecus, elephant seal	Brown bear, elephant seal	Brown bear

Animals who did not advance to round two: jerboa, bumblebee bat, tent-making bat, pygmy mouse lemur, least weasel, pygmy possum, quokka, social tuco-tuco, dormouse, Kanko, Pegasus, Pooka, Ichneumon, Water Horse, Greek Sphinx, Kishi, Colo Colo, yellow-bellied marmot, bighorn sheep, olive baboon, vervet monkey, bongo, koala, Irish elk, European hare, silver pika, black dorcopsis, cloud rat, Siau Island tarsier, Javan slow loris, riverine rabbit, saola, Sibree's dwarf lemur.

2016

Divisions: Cold-Adapted Mammals, Mighty Giants, Mammal Mascots, and Mammals of the Nouns. For the mascot mammal bracket, the university and the mammal the mascot represents are linked separately.

Division	Round 2	Sweet Sixteen	Elite Eight	Final Four	Semi-Finals	Champion
Cold-Adapted Mammals	Polar bear, hoary marmot, Arctic fox, takin, Pallas' cat, wolverine, Andean mountain cat, snow leopard	Polar Bear, Takin, Wolverine, Snow Leopard	Polar Bear, Wolverine	Wolverine
Mighty Giants	Giant panda, Indian giant squirrel, giant anteater, giant river otter, greater mouse deer, large tree shrew, giant flying fox, giant forest hog	Giant panda, giant anteater, greater mouse deer, giant forest hog	Giant panda, giant forest hog	Giant forest hog	Giant forest hog
Mammal Mascots	Howard bison, Quinnipiac bobcat, West Point mules, UW badger, UA Russian boar, UT longhorn, CSU bighorn sheep, Coast Guard Acad bear	Howard Bison, West Point Mules, UT Longhorn, Coast Guard Acad Bear	Howard Bison, UT Longhorn	Howard Bison
Mammals of the Nouns	Goat of the Mountain, Hyrax of the Rock, Wallaby of the Swamp, Otter of the Sea, Dog of the Bush, Porcupine of the Cape, Polecat of the Steppe, Wolf of the Tundra	Goat of the Mountain, Otter of the Sea, Porcupine of the Cape, Wolf of the Tundra	Goat of the Mountain, Wolf of the Tundra	Wolf of the Tundra	Wolf of the Tundra	Wolf of the Tundra

Mammals who did not advance to round two: lemming, snow monkey, caribou, snowshoe hare, Antarctic fur seal, stoat, vicuña, siberian chipmunk, Haverford squirrel, Schoolcraft College Ocelots, Santa Clara bronco, Penn State mountain lions, Lethbridge pronghorn, Naval Academy goat, Texas A&M javelina, Yale bulldog, Thor hero shrew, giant cloud rat, giant elephant shrew, giant otter shrew, greater dwarf lemur, giant armadillo, giant flying squirrel, giant mole rat, shrew of the water, viscacha of the mountain, rabbit of the volcano, pocket gopher of the mountain, dog of the prairie, baby of the bush, cat of the sand, vole of the bank