Founded in 2013, March Mammal Madness (MMM) is a simulated combat competition among mammals in which anyone is able to participate. In MMM, participants learn about animal attributes in order to calculate battle outcomes and have the chance to be a winner.

MMM’s official website states, “participants are educated about inter-species interactions, the importance of ecological context, how natural selection has shaped adaptations, and conservation management of endangered species.”

For those wondering how participation works, refer to MMM’s official website for a more in-depth explanation, but put simply, print out or get the bracket for the year (released February 23rd) and then predict which mammals will be the victors in the simulated combat between the two species. By following Twitter (under the thread #2022MMM), YouTube (Rodent Roundtable), Facebook, MMM’s official website, and/or the Google Classroom (see Mr. Smith), participants can experience the results in real-time and interact with other participants. For real-time following/interaction, each of the battles are held at 8:00 p.m. (see Tournament Schedule).  

Mr. Smith, Biology teacher, has spearheaded MMM at Trinity for the last few years as MMM Gamemaster. He runs a bracket outside of his classroom and opens MMM up to any student who wishes to participate.  

This year marks the 4th year that Smith is having voluntary participation in MMM. Smith has never won, but he has picked the winning mammal once! He said that he averages around the top five. The first year that he ran the bracket at Trinity was also his favorite MMM year; he expected only a few participants but was surprised at how popular is was.  

Smith’s favorite battles are usually around the beginning of the month, since there are normally game “upsets” (a mammal less likely to win ends up winning anyways) due to the simulation being based on probability. Smith remarked that last year wasn’t very shocking because there weren’t many upsets and most of the animals were familiar to participants. However, he has high hopes for this year being an interesting one!  

The divisions for this year, the groups the mammals are separated into, are Mammal Collectives, WILD North America, Queens of the Sky & Sea and Why Not Both, and Mr. Smith is particularly excited about the categories Queens of the Sky & Sea and Mammal Collectives. He likes Queens of the Sky & Sea because this category brings the female animals and their attributes into consideration. He likes Mammal Collectives because it allows for the two animals in the category (for each battle which they are a part of) to either work together or work against one another, essentially allowing for more game action. 

Smith recommends participation because it is free, fun and has potential prizes. He believes that MMM makes learning about (mostly widely unheard of) animals fun and entertaining. He’d like to remind participants that brackets come out at the end of February; they are on display outside of Smith’s classroom. Smith would also like to give a special thank you to the tech department for making the display a reality each year. 

Last year, Mrs. Monteleone was the top finisher among staff and her AP Environmental students won the first year that Trinity participated in MMM, allowing for some bragging rights! The championship from last year, in which the Red Kangaroo won against the Harpy Eagle, was her favorite battle because she correctly guessed the kangaroo. The battles are engaging, and she said that outcomes and mammal facts come up in conversations.  

Monteleone is, like Smith, particularly interested in the Queens of the Sky & Sea category. She likes that MMM takes the fun of a game and uses it to focus on mammals instead of sports. The friendly competition between participants makes MMM fun and educational; she recommends students participate so that they can take on a challenge and have a fun learning experience. 

To learn even more about MMM, visit MMM’s official website, which includes play instructions, FAQs, #2022MMM information, animal background information resources, information from previous years and more. Have fun and good luck!