Welcome to Ultimate Fighting Words!
Today, our challengers will battle over
whose bite is worse, a mosquito or a shark?
In this corner, we have Quincy!
Quincy claims that a bite from a mosquito
is worse than a bite from a shark,
and I can't wait to hear what she says!
A mosquito's bite can be so much worse than a shark's bite.
It's not even close!
So I hope you brought your bug spray, Zach.
Because when I beat you, it's going to sting.
In this corner, we have Zach!
Zach says that a shark's bite is worse than a mosquito's.
And he says that he's come face to face with a shark.
And it was scary!
Oh, dude!
Oh, well it was actually a dolphin.
I was on my surfboard waiting to catch a wave, and I saw its fin
and thought it was shark.
And it swam by me, and it was just so cute.
During this battle, you have three rounds
to use your best words and prove to me, and to the crowd, who
will be the Ultimate Fighting Words champion!
Round one, is called Wild Word, where
I say the first word that pops into my head.
And you each get 30 seconds to convince me
who should get the point for the round.
Zach, you're in the jungle.
The wild word is teeth.
Go.
[bell ringing]
Well, unlike humans, sharks are born with teeth.
And most sharks have between five and 15 rows
of teeth at different sizes, depending on the shark.
But the bull shark, which is one of the most dangerous sharks,
has 50 rows of teeth, coming in at about an inch per tooth.
Oh, and the most famous shark of all,
which is also the deadliest, is the great white shark,
which can have up to 350 serrated blade-like triangular
teeth that can reach up to 6 and 1/2 inches long.
Whoa!
Oh, and their teeth can cut through
and shatter bones, no problem.
So basically, the teeth of a shark
are the reason their bite is worse than the bite of a,
what, tiny little mosquito?
[buzzer sounds]
OK, Zach.
I'm about to use some big words here, so stick with me.
Mosquitoes, like other insects, have a jaw structure
with mandibles that work like teeth.
Their mandibles or teeth are attached
to an elongated structure called a probiscus.
The probiscus is made up of multiple parts, which
are known as stylets, like needles,
which pierce and hold apart your skin with 47
tiny teeth-like edges, so that a tube called a labrum can
go beneath your skin, find the blood vessels,
and a extract your blood.
While that is happening, another stylet
called a hypopharnyx shoots the mosquito's saliva
into you, which can be the most dangerous part of the bite,
depending on where that mosquito has been.
So although tiny, the teeth that puncture your skin
in a mosquito bite can be way worse than a shark's.
[buzzer sounds]
Oh, I hear you when it comes to shark teeth, Zach.
But Quincy, what you just described is fascinating.
I got to give it to you!
That means Quincy, you get the first point for Wild Word,
and lead 1-0.
Now let's see who says it better in round two, the Hot Potato
round, where Zach and Quincy will
go at it, hitting us with facts about mosquitoes and sharks!
Whoever gets caught holding the potato when the buzzer goes off
loses.
Hot potato starts now.
[bell ringing]
Did you know that the saliva that
shoots into us from a mosquito when we get bit
serves two purposes?
One, to prevent your blood from clotting as the mosquito sucks
it up, and secondly, to act as a mild pain reliever,
so you won't immediately feel that the mosquito
is biting you.
Whoa!
Well, did you know that the pressure
from the bite of a great white shark
can reach up to two metric tons?
Yeah!
Put that little number into a calculator.
And it's three times more powerful than a lion,
at least 20 times stronger than a human,
and over half as strong as a T-Rex!
Oh, and I'm sorry, but you're telling me
a mosquito's bite is worse than a shark?
Yes I am.
Because if a mosquito is carrying
a virus in its bloodstream from previously biting
a sick animal, the infected mosquito
can then transmit that virus through its saliva into a human
through its bite.
And I'm talking about very serious viruses like malaria,
West Nile, and Zika.
And these are just a few.
And how about this?
Sharks can sniff out a drop of blood
under water more than 300 feet away.
Sharks can also see up to 10 times better
in dark, murky water than humans can see in clear water.
The biggest great white sharks can
reach up to 20 feet long with a jaw size of up to four feet
wide!
And I'm a surfer!
You don't think I should be worried?
No, I don't.
Because according to the World Health Organization,
diseases transmitted from mosquitoes
kill around 725,000 people a year,
which makes the mosquito the deadliest animal in the world.
The current odds of getting bitten by a shark
are one in 3,750,000.
And if you really don't want to get bitten by a shark,
it's easy.
Don't swim in the--
[buzzer sounds]
Oh!
Sorry, Quincy!
You're grilled seafood!
That means Zach, you get the point here and win round two.
With the score tied at 1-1, it's time to Convince the Crowd!
In this final round of the game, you each get 15 seconds
to say it all one last time, and convince the crowd who deserves
the final point in this battle.
Bring it home, Quincy.
[bell ringing]
During a mosquito bite, your skin
is pierced by a set of needle-like structures.
And while blood is being sucked out, saliva--
which can be infected by viruses from other animals--
is shot into our body.
While not every mosquito bite is deadly,
a bite from an infected mosquito puts you
in danger of diseases like malaria, West Nile, Zika,
and other serious and life-threatening diseases.
Therefore, its bite is worse than a shark's.
[buzzer sounds]
Very strong stuff there, Quincy.
Zach, time to take your bite.
[bell ringing]
So, the most famous shark of all is the great white shark,
which can have up to 350 blade-like triangular
teeth that can reach up to 6 and 1/2 inches long.
Sharks can sniff out a drop of blood underwater
more than 300 feet away, and can see clearly in the dark!
The biggest great white shark can reach up to 20 feet long,
with a jaw size of up to four feet wide!
And the pressure from a bite of a great white shark
can reach up to two metric tons, which is three times more
powerful than a lion, and over half as strong as a T-Rex,
oh, which makes shattering bones no problem.
[buzzer sounds]
Oh, good stuff my friends.
Both bites sound serious.
But which bite is worse, the mosquito's or the shark's?
Who said it best, Quincy or Zach?
Let's hear it for the mosquito!
[cheering]
Let's hear it for the shark!
[cheering]
Looks like the mosquito!
And with the final score of 2-1, we have been convinced.
A mosquito's bite is worse than a shark's!
Quincy, you are the Ultimate Fighting Words champion!
All of a sudden, I am very itchy.
And there's a red spot on my arm.
Oh dear.
Bye bye now.
[mosquito buzzing]
[audio logo]