Every March, college basketball fans print out brackets and try their best to fill them out with perfection. The aim is to nail every upset, pick every winner and cruise to either a large cash prize or bragging rights.
But, for a much smaller group, the NCAA tournament isn’t the premier bracket each spring. Rather, it is March Mammal Madness.
Swapping out slam dunks for survival instincts and buzzer beaters for claws and teeth, March Mammal Madness is a wildly (see what I did there?) popular tournament that pits our animal friends against one another in a sort of hypothetical cagematch.
Never heard of it? Don’t worry, let’s break it down.
The History of March Mammal Madness
March Mammal Madness began in 2013 when Dr. Katie Hinde, a biological anthropologist at Arizona State, decided to mix the excitement of college basketball brackets with an educational twist.
Originally the concept was designed to be a small, classroom activity. Students would fill out a bracket of 64 mammals to see which would be crowned king. Using research, simulated battles would be carried out with science determining a winner.
The first tournament featured a “Final Four” of elephant seal, gorilla, elephant and warthog. Elephant and warthog met in the finals with the elephant taking home the title.
Since then, the number of experts joining Dr. Hinde has grown tremendously.
How to Play March Mammal Madness?
If you want to get in on the fun of March Mammal Madness, the 2025 bracket is already available on the Arizona State University library website.
Official winners must be either a student or faculty member at Arizona State, as they must submit the bracket through their student portal.
However, if you want to fill out your own, start a new pool at work or school, or just follow along with the fun, you can print out a bracket at the above link.
Official picks must be locked in by March 10, and the outcomes for each matchup will be posted on Facebook and ASU LibGuide.
How are March Mammal Madness Winners Selected?
These fictional matchups are determined using a mixture of pure chance and scientific research. Among the factors considered for each contestant are social behavior, aggressiveness, size, environment and diet.
A team of more than a dozen researchers and professors from universities around the nation assist Dr. Hinde in the research for each bracket. Once the matchup is decided, the science is used to create a backstory for the encounter. In some cases, long, drawn out slobberknockers occur. In others, the ‘fights’ end up as a comical, whimsical affair.
For example, in 2014 the pangolin forfeited its first-round matchup because it was captured by poachers before the fight began. Pangolins are the world’s most-trafficked animal.
Instead of simply announcing a winner, the group will post on social media at designated times each day during the tournament, providing a sort of live commentary for the fictional fight.
For some matchups, live blogging/reporting is also provided.
After the results are final, they’re posted to the March Mammal Madness website and social accounts.
History of March Mammal Madness Winners
Read More About March Madness
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What is March Mammal Madness? A Look at the Internet Phenomenon.
