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NEXT UP: the JUMP JUMP division's entries into tonight's Elite Trait matchups - #1 seed Bengal Tiger vs #3 seed Spinner Dolphin. Battle written by @c_n_anderson #2019MMM
The Bengal Tiger devoured the Ringtail Cat, the Springhare, and Bharal to make it to tonight's matchup. Will his hunger never end? It's becoming a spectacle. #2019MMM 
The Spinner Dolphin defeated the Spinefex Hopping Mouse, the Impala, and the 9-banded Armadillo to make it here. Fortunately, for the Spinner Dolphin, every previous battle took place in marine waters. #2019MMM
Tonight, we randomize the ecology of the battle location, and this matchup takes place in.....SANDHILLS! #2019MMM
Specifically, we find ourselves in the southeastern edge of the Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina. The habitat is bordered in land by the Piedmont region and toward the Atlantic ocean by the Coastal Plain. #2019MMM
Carolina & Georgia sandhills have deep coarse sands & elevational changes that may remind one of the dunes you may see at a beach, but are over 200 km inland from the coast. How'd that happen? #2019MMM
Carolina sandhills were once coastline as recently as 5.3 million years ago. Check out these Cenozoic paleogeographic maps of North America eas2.unl.edu/~tfrank/Histor… #2019MMM
Sandhills are derived from ancient beaches that have been left inland after the ocean receded. They contain dry, nutrient poor soil thus host plants well-adapted to dry conditions #2019MMM
Longleaf pines are the dominant tree species in the Sandhill habitat, but are much reduced today (3 million acres) compared to the time of European settlement (90 million acres).#2019MMM
The interruption of the natural fire regimes and logging has led to the decline of the once vast longleaf pine. Tonight's battle takes place in an open stand of old pines with very little growth in the understory or subcanopy. ncscp.org/sandhills_regi… #2019MMM
The tiger prowls through the long leaf pine forest, needles shushing under his paws #2019MM
The tiger's head snaps to attention as it hears and unfamiliar sound...it's the tapping of a red-cockaded woodpecker digging out a cavity. #2019MMM
Continuing its patrol, the tiger comes across the spinner dolphin. The spinner dolphin would have been fine if this battle took place 5.3 million years earlier and the Carolina sandhill was at coastline. But here...ON LAND? It's not going well for the Spinner Dolphin #2019MMM
The dolphin is beached on the ancient beach; lies motionless. The tiger approaches to investigate. It licks around the dolphin's blowhole #2019MMM
Now is be a good time to share what NOAA advises about beached Dolphins. Do not attempt to push a beached dolphin in to the sea, but the advice is keep it moist and call for help. fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/mari… #2019MMM
If you are in the U.S. you should call 877-WHALE HELP to report a beached marine mammal #2019MMM
No assistance is coming today for the beached spinner dolphin. The tiger is not even hungry (it's still full from it's previous rounds). #2019MMM
Tiger watches as dolphin rolls down the sandhill for one last spin, dreaming of blue waters as he slips away #2019MMM
TIGER DEFEATS SPINNER DOLPHIN!!! #2019MMM
