March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach - eLife
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FEATURE ARTICLE
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
March Mammal Madness and
the power of narrative in
science outreach
Abstract March Mammal Madness is a science outreach project that, over the course of several
weeks in March, reaches hundreds of thousands of people in the United States every year. We
combine four approaches to science outreach – gamification, social media platforms, community
event(s), and creative products – to run a simulated tournament in which 64 animals compete to
become the tournament champion. While the encounters between the animals are hypothetical, the
outcomes rely on empirical evidence from the scientific literature. Players select their favored
combatants beforehand, and during the tournament scientists translate the academic literature into
gripping “play-by-play” narration on social media. To date ~1100 scholarly works, covering almost
400 taxa, have been transformed into science stories. March Mammal Madness is most typically used
by high-school educators teaching life sciences, and we estimate that our materials reached ~1% of
high-school students in the United States in 2019. Here we document the intentional design, public
engagement, and magnitude of reach of the project. We further explain how human psychological
and cognitive adaptations for shared experiences, social learning, narrative, and imagery contribute
to the widespread use of March Mammal Madness.
KATIE HINDE*, CARLOS EDUARDO G AMORIM, ALYSON F BROKAW,
NICOLE BURT, MARY C CASILLAS, ALBERT CHEN, TARA CHESTNUT,
PATRICE K CONNORS, MAUNA DASARI, CONNOR FOX DITELBERG,
JEANNE DIETRICK, JOSH DREW, LARA DURGAVICH, BRIAN EASTERLING,
CHARON HENNING, ANNE HILBORN, ELINOR K KARLSSON, MARC KISSEL,
JENNIFER KOBYLECKY, JASON KRELL, DANIELLE N LEE, KATE M LESCIOTTO,
KRISTI L LEWTON, JESSICA E LIGHT, JESSICA MARTIN, ASIA MURPHY,
WILLIAM NICKLEY, ALEJANDRA NÚÑEZ-DE LA MORA, OLIVIA PELLICER,
VALERIA PELLICER, ANALI MAUGHAN PERRY, STEPHANIE G SCHUTTLER,
*For correspondence: ANNE C STONE, BRIAN TANIS, JESSE WEBER, MELISSA WILSON,
katiehinde@gmail.com EMMA WILLCOCKS AND CHRISTOPHER N ANDERSON
Competing interest: See
page 29
Funding: See page 30 Introduction (Schroeder et al., 1989; Gibbons, 1999; Het-
Reviewing editor: George H Public education and outreach are an essential land, 2017; Krishna, 2020; for important excep-
Perry, Pennsylvania State pillar of 21st century scholarship. A substantial tions, see Fox, 2020). Advocacy for Open
University, United States portion of empirical research and research infra- Science has grown in recent decades (Sá and
Copyright Hinde et al. This structure, especially in higher education, is sup- Grieco, 2016; Cribb and Sari, 2010;
article is distributed under the ported through public funds. Research output is Piwowar et al., 2018; NASEM, 2018) but even
terms of the Creative Commons therefore not only expected to serve the public when scholarly publications are open access,
Attribution License, which good (Hazelkorn and Gibson, 2019), but a empirical findings too often remain behind a
permits unrestricted use and
broad view of the social contract conceptually paywall of jargon. As such, institutions, funding
redistribution provided that the
original author and source are
situates scientific knowledge generated with agencies, professional societies, and individual
credited. public funds within the public trust scholars increasingly recognize the importance
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 1 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
of science communication (hereafter SciComm) behavior (Bush et al., 2018) across urban,
and informal STEM education to reach learners, suburban, and rural landscapes in which spe-
clinicians, policy-makers, and other members of cies diversity and visibility varies
the general public (Beaulieu et al., 2018; (Schuttler et al., 2019). At very young ages,
Jessani et al., 2018; Bell, 2016; children are attracted to neotenous and famil-
National Science Board, 2011; Yuan et al., iar animal phenotypes (Borgi et al., 2014;
2019). Moreover, increased visibility of science Borgi and Cirulli, 2015). Children and young
and scientists can counter stereotypes about adults also express greater affinity for mam-
who does science and inspire the next genera- mals and birds than reptiles, insects, and
tion of scientists (Woods-Townsend et al., amphibians (Schlegel and Rupf, 2010).
2016; Jarreau et al., 2019). Leveraging the dynamic game elements of a
Across the life, biomedical, physical, and single elimination tournament combined with
social sciences, scholars participate in SciComm story-telling scientists, March Mammal Mad-
and educational outreach (Yuan et al., 2019; ness makes accessible reports from the scien-
Cooke et al., 2017), and increasingly leverage tific literature including elegant behavioral
social media platforms to achieve these broader ecology experiments (Morand-Ferron et al.,
impacts (Bik et al., 2015; Collins et al., 2016; 2016; Campbell et al., 2009), meticulous nat-
McClain and Neeley, 2014; Mehlen- ural history descriptions (Able, 2016;
bacher, 2019; Jarreau et al., 2019). SciComm Tewksbury et al., 2014), and gripping narra-
and educational outreach campaigns, however, tively-constructed accounts of observed animal
can be variably successful in their content, reach, behavior (Ramsay and Teichroeb, 2019).
propagation, and sustainability and “impact” is The tournament also provides lesson plans as
often opaquely operationalized, measured, or an Open Educational Resource (Miao et al.,
assessed (Saunders et al., 2017; Davies, 2019). 2016) to educators who systematically integrate
Web traffic, social media engagement, and March Mammal Madness into their curriculum.
long-term use of resources are most often used March Mammal Madness achieves key SciComm
as indicators of SciComm impact goals by reaching many audiences (Var-
(Saunders et al., 2017; Fernández-Bellon and ner, 2014), facilitating interactions between sci-
Kane, 2020). Comprehensive roadmaps of suc- entists and students (Boyette and Ramsey,
cessful SciComm initiatives, campaigns, and pro- 2019), and effecting propagation and sustained
grams have been infrequently described in the adoption of the tournament (Stanford et al.,
scholarly literature. Early and recent reports, 2017). Across 11 evenings, beginning with a
however, have demonstrated that memes, Wild Card through early rounds into the Sweet
images, activities, and dynamic content from sci- Sixteen, the Elite Trait, the Final Roar, and finally
entists are associated with increased learner and the Championship “battle”, March Mammal
public interest, competencies, donations, and Madness is a SciComm extravaganza.
enthusiasm for nature (Moskal et al., 2007; Here we systematically document our inten-
Hone et al., 2011; McClure et al., 2020; tional design, magnitude of reach, and com-
McClain, 2019; Lenda et al., 2020). pounding impact of March Mammal Madness.
Our SciComm program March Mammal We further contextualize how human psycho-
Madness (MMM) engages hundreds of thou- logical and cognitive adaptations for games,
sands of members of the general public in a shared experiences, co-constructed narratives,
celebration of animal behavior, and the and artistic illustration likely underlie the sus-
broader natural world, for several weeks each tained success of this science communication
year. Notably, March Mammal Madness blends approach. We posit that March Mammal Mad-
together four approaches to science outreach ness models generalizable and scalable tactics
– gamification, social media platforms, commu- for other scientists seeking to develop or
nity event(s), and creative products expand their own science communication.
(Subhash and Cudney, 2018; Varner, 2014; Alternatively, and with much less effort, scien-
Bush et al., 2018) – with salient animal-based tists can incorporate March Mammal Madness
content. Science communicators have previ- into their own outreach portfolio by introduc-
ously recognized that students in the United ing the tournament into their labs, classrooms,
States are particularly interested in animal and communities.
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 2 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
“This was no ordinary death, invoked in battle narrations, often with specific
though forty million years citations linked. Additional facts and images are
lay between us and that most gaping snarl. tweeted by geneticists and partner organiza-
Deep-driven to the root a fractured scapula tions such as the American Society of Mammalo-
hung on the mighty saber undetached; two beasts gists, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and
had died in mortal combat, for the bone the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Immediately after
had never been released” the evening’s battles conclude, written “sports
Excerpt from poem “The Innocent Assassins” summaries” of the battles (see
(Eiseley, 1973). Loren Eiseley wrote this poem Supplementary file 3) and underlying science
about an inferred battle between two Nimravids and full transcripts of the play-by-play are
that ended in mutual destruction, a fossil discov- posted on multiple online platforms including
ery that was first described by Toohey, 1959. Facebook, Wakelet, Blogspot, and LibGuide so
the science behind the outcomes is widely avail-
able. These materials are additionally distributed
March Mammal Madness directly to educators using March Mammal Mad-
Each March, dozens of academics, conservation- ness in their classrooms so student players can
ists, and artists use the social media stage of follow the tournament without being on social
Twitter to deliver performance science in the media or accessing the internet. Our tournament
form of a simulated tournament to reveal an motto perennially emphasizes “If you’re learn-
annual animal champion (Figure 1). Each year, ing, you’re winning.”
we release a unique bracket revealing the
selected combatants organized into four the- Tournament species
matic divisions. Players predict the likely out- March Mammal Madness has featured hundreds
comes of sequential encounters between pairs of species from a global distribution of biogeo-
of combatants based on the player’s knowledge, graphic regions (N = 383 species across 2013–
preferences, or taxon allegiances. After allowing 2019). Combatants have represented N = 25/27
players ~ 10 days of research to make bracket mammalian orders, all except for Paucitubercu-
predictions, the official tournament outcomes lata and Microbiotheria. Species inclusion as
are revealed over several weeks using science- tournament combatants, however, does not
based story-telling. Scientist-narrators “live- achieve proportional representation across
announce” the crafted encounters like a sporting mammalian orders (Burgin et al., 2018), much
event radiocast on the social media platform to the oft-communicated ire of researchers
Twitter, as players follow along, primarily via studying Chiroptera. Carnivora, Artiodactyla,
mobile devices (53%) or desktop/laptop com- and Diprotodontia are particularly over-repre-
puters (41%). Scientist-narrators typically use a sented as tournament combatants (Figure 2)
standardized narrative arc, in sequence present- and taxa from these orders have more often
ing background “stats” for each combatant, been featured in two or more tournament years
describing the scene of the “battle,” and then as repeat entrants. Chiroptera, Rodentia, and
creatively report the back-and-forth details of Eulipotyphla are consistently featured as com-
the encounter like a sports play-by-play (see batants, but have been under-represented in
Supplementary files 1 and 2). proportion to their actual species counts, while
Although rife with pop culture jokes and small-bodied taxa from mammalian orders less
internet memes, March Mammal Madness is sys- familiar to the general public have been rou-
tematically anchored to the scientific literature tinely showcased (Figure 2). As such, each year
(Hinde et al., 2017; Fisher, 2018). For each sim- our bracket includes well-recognized charismatic
ulated battle, scientist-narrators provide key megafauna, familiar backyard species, and intro-
information about each combatant species and duces rare taxa many players have never
feature facts about behavior, life history, conser- encountered in their zoo visits, reading, or
vation status, phylogeny, morphology, and other nature program viewing.
exceptional adaptations. Predation tactics, anti- Although the tournament particularly celebra-
predator defenses, kleptoparasitism, kill owner- tes Class Mammalia, many non-mammal com-
ship, maternal aggression, signaling behavior, batants have been included in March Mammal
optimal foraging, interspecific displacement, Madness; N = 53 in total from 2013 to 2019.
sickness behavior, winner effects, gut passage While early tournaments only showcased a smat-
time, and many other aspects of animal behav- tering of non-mammals, since 2018 March Mam-
ior, physiology, and morphology are routinely mal Madness has featured dozens of diverse
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 3 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
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Figure 1. The tournament outcome bracket for March Mammal Madness in 2018. Players initially begin with a “blank” bracket listing just the first-
round match-ups and predict sequential match outcomes from their pre-existing knowledge, targeted research, and/or guessing. In the 2018
tournament the four divisions were the ‘Antecessors’ (fossil species that “came before” today’s living mammals, stretching back to the synapsids),
‘Great Adaptations’ (mammals that have exceptional and rare traits), and ‘Urban Jungle’ (mammals that survive, and sometimes thrive, in suburbs and
cities). The last division, ‘When the Kat’s Away’, was a colloquial allusion to entomologist Chris Anderson and ichthyologist Josh Drew inserting a
division of non-mammal combatants for the launch of the tournament when mammalogist Katie Hinde was out of the country. In the Final Four,
elephant-relative Amebelodon emerged victorious from the Antecessors and defeated #AltMammal Orinoco crocodile, but was wounded during the
encounter. Coyote may have been king of the Urban Jungle but was no match for the pygmy hippopotamus (from Great Adaptations). In the ultimate
showdown, Amebelodon’s larger size and weaponry could not overcome his previously-sustained injuries, and he was displaced by surprise 2018
Champion pygmy hippopotamus.
animal taxa including insect, amphibian, lepido- and public engagement with nature
saurian, archosaurian (including avian), cephalo- (Tewksbury et al., 2014; Greene, 2005;
pod, arachnid, crustacean, and tardigrade Schmidly, 2005). By structuring the tournament
combatants. In an effort to further expand the around organisms and routinely linking to the
topics included in our science outreach and to higher and lower levels of biological complexity
intentionally disrupt “plant blindness” (Greene, 2005), March Mammal Madness con-
(Jose et al., 2019), we included several plant tinuously spins a sparkling kaleidoscope of bio-
species in 2019. Organismal diversity and logical life on earth.
description have waned as foci within biology
curricula, in tandem with decreases in student
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 4 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
Figure 2. How the combatants featured in March Mammal Madness compare with mammals in general.
Proportion of extant species by order across the mammalian class, stacked according to the species count of the
order (with the largest order at the bottom; left), and as combatants in March Mammal Madness (right). Some
orders (such as Rodentia) have been under-represented in MMM (reds), some are over-represented (such as
Carnivora; blues), and others have been proportionately represented (yellows).
Tournament divisions binomial alluded to phenotypic similarities to fel-
Each year, March Mammal Madness presents ids, an extensively used comparand in common
combatant species in four novel “Divisions” names and taxonomic nomenclature. This divi-
(Table 1). In the inaugural year, the divisions sion provided important opportunities to high-
were largely organized around mammalian light the intertwining of scientific colonialism,
Orders (Carnivora, Primates), that had the dual linguistic privilege, and phylogenetics as the co-
drawbacks of reduced phylogenetic representa- occurrence of European Imperialism and the for-
tion across the mammalian Class and substantial malization of Linnean taxonomy manifested in a
redundancy of attributes among many combat- rapid global cataloging of fauna (Raj, 2000;
ants due to recent shared common ancestry. Smith and Jackson, 2006).
Since 2014, we have intentionally designed divi- A mythical mammal division in 2015 stirred
sions to integrate more complex themes of envi- controversy as some fans initially averred the
ronments, extinction-risk, adaptations, lexical inclusion of imaginary species subverted schol-
quirks, among other bins. These divisions dem- arly credibility and competitively inhibited legiti-
onstrate how biological life can be clustered mate animals. Discussion of mythical mammals,
according to diverse taxonomies (Medin and however, was harmonious with the tournament’s
Bang, 2014) and facilitate dialogues about his- science communication priorities. Importantly,
torical context of scientific “discovery.” For mythical mammals often feature traits or combi-
example, in 2019 the CAT-e-GORY Division fea- nations of traits of species within a local ecology
tured many “cool cats,” but no species from the that present danger, risk, or usefulness to
mammalian Family Felidae. Rather these were humans (Scalise Sugiyama, 2001), allowing nar-
taxa whose English common name or scientific rators to include information on multiple actual
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 5 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
Table 1. Each annual March Mammal Madness tournament featured novel divisions that showcased diverse taxa.
Year Divisions Description Example taxa
2013 Carnivores Meat-eaters Lion, Wolverine
Primates Primate Order Orangutan, Uakari
Browsers and Grazers Herbivores Tapir, Moose
Hodge Podge Miscellaneous taxa Wombat, Flying Fox
2014 Marine Mammals Adapted to marine ecosystems Narwhal, Harbor Seal
Social Mammals Highly social species (battle as a team) Hyena, African Wild Dogs
The Who in the What Now Lesser-known taxa Dhole, Saiga
Fossil Mammals Extinct taxa from the fossil record Mastodon, Dire Wolf
2015 Mighty Minis Smol bois Bumblebee Bat, Tenrec
Critically Endangered IUCN red list taxa Iberian lynx, Tenkile
Sexy Beasts Traits strongly influenced by sexual selection Irish Elk, Elephant Seal
Mythical Mammals Creatures from cultural myths and folklore Minotaur, Yeti
2016 Cold-adapted Adapted to cold environments/seasons Snow Leopard, Caribou
Mighty Giants Large in size/for their clade Panda, Giant Armadillo
Mascot Mammals Mascots of colleges/universities (Howard) Bison
Mammals of the Nouns Ecosystem niche featured in common name ‘Hyrax of the Rock’
2017 Desert-adapted Adapted to arid environments Aardwolf, Saiga
Coulda Shoulda Contenders defeated unexpectedly 2013–16 Sabertooth Cat, Lion
Adjective Mammals Common name includes adjective Sac-winged Bat
Two Animals, One Mammal Taxa with two-part animal common names Spider Monkey
2018 Antecessor Synapsids and their fossil descendants Dimetrodon, Doedicurus
Great Adaptations Unique/exceptional traits Crabeater Seal, Aye Aye
Alt-Mammals OK FINE, WE’LL HAVE NON-MAMMALS Mantis Shrimp, Secretary Bird
Urban Jungle Taxa that thrive in high density human areas Coyote, Rhesus
2019 Waterfalls Aquatic adaptations Aquatic Genet, Manatee
Tag Team Inter-species mutualisms (battle as a team) Banded Mongoose and Warthog
Jump-Jump Adaptations for saltation Jackrabbit, Serval
CAT-e-GORY Nomenclature referring to a felid Sea Lion, Tiger Owl
species in tandem with the mythical stories. For 2018). Myths and mythical mammals as phe-
example, one contestant was the ichneumon, a nomena are constructs that emerge from human
mythical mammal which would allow itself to be adaptations for social learning, credulity, and
swallowed by a crocodile and then burst out, abstract thought, allowing MMM to reflexively
and in doing so, would kill its sworn enemy discuss how evolution has shaped humans
(Budge, 1969). Through this myth, we were able (Ihejirika and Edodi, 2017, Barrett et al., 2016;
to not only showcase the role of crocodiles as Kline, 2015). Lastly, by including mythology
apex predators in African river systems, but also gleaned from antiquity and ethnography, we
introduce the biology of ichneumon wasps – a hoped to broaden participation among students
group of insects that lay eggs within other insect and scholars in the humanities.
species, the larvae hatch within and emerge, Within divisions, combatants are assigned rel-
thereby killing the host (Gauld and Bolton, ative rankings, termed “seeding”, that suggest
1988). Tales of magic beings or objects have the expected competitiveness within the tournament
greatest diffusion across cultural landscapes and construct (Schwenk, 2000). Seedings are largely
can persist for thousands of years (da Silva and based on upper limits of combatant mass, with
Tehrani, 2016). As such, mythical creatures can predators “punching above their weight.” Seed
serve as valuable symbols around which conser- assignment can be, in part, to facilitate more
vation themes can be structured (Holmes et al., reasonable first round match-ups in terms of
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 6 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
battle substrate (terrestrial vs. aquatic match-ups their opponent. Adaptations mismatched with
are typically avoided in the first round) or to min- ecological context have contributed to tourna-
imize counter-productive digressions in class- ment losses due to hyperthermia (Panthera
rooms of adolescents in contexts of various uncia, Gulo gulo), hypoxia (Mustela erminea),
cultural sensibilities (Skiba et al., 2016). For and osmotic imbalance (Octopus vulgaris). More
example, one year our initial seed assignment advanced rounds – the Elite Trait, the Final Roar,
would have generated a macaque vs. deer and the Championship – are randomized among
match-up shortly after extensive media coverage four possible ecosystems specific to each tourna-
of inter-specific sexual behaviors between ment year (Figure 3). Scientist-narrators often
Macaca fuscata and Cervus nippon (Gunst et al., situate battles in specific locations to highlight
2018), prompting seed re-assignment early in national parks, conservation areas, public lands
tournament planning. Once we finalize the full and/or endangered ecosystems (Bland et al.,
bracket line-up, the MMM scientific team con- 2017). Tournament spectators have been figura-
ducts additional research to evaluate likely tively transported to the Karakum Desert in
match outcomes, accounting for battle ecology. Turkmenistan; Gunung Leuser National Park,
Following team evaluation and discussion, out- Indonesia; the Cojedes River, Venezuela; Bears
come probabilities are assigned to each match- Ears National Monument, USA; coastal ice flows
up. These probability estimations are used in of Antarctica; Cradle Mountains-Lake St. Clair
conjunction with a 1-100 random number gener- National Park, Australia; Namib-Naukluft
ator to determine the “official” match outcomes National Park, Namibia; and thorn forests of the
and allows the random occurrence of upsets Deccan Plateau, India, among hundreds of other
(see Battle Outcomes below). The scientist-nar- locations. Figurative transportation has been
rators then use the scientific literature or per- combined at times with time travel, as battles
sonal experiences in the field to craft plausible involving fossil combatants occur within specific
battle scenarios. In this way, the tournament paleoenvironments. For example, a battle
incorporates structured game mechanics around between Andrewsarchus mongoliensis and Nura-
science learning (Subhash and Cudney, 2018). lagus rex took place 40 million years ago in a
humid forest in what is present-day Inner Mon-
Battle location (This is not Thunderdome) golia. Scientist-narrators frequently highlight
Battle narrations are situated across diverse eco- aspects of the community ecology, particularly
systems globally and are March Mammal Mad- carnivore guilds that have shaped the evolution
ness canon. Early rounds of the tournament of the combatant species (Caro and Stoner,
favor the better-ranked combatant by situating 2003). Of additional interest in the tournament
the encounter in their own habitat, a “home- are ecosystem engineers whose activities alter
court advantage” that potentially disadvantages physical structures within the environment,
Figure 3. Battles in the advanced rounds of the tournament take place in one of four randomly selected
ecosystems. The four ecosystems or habitats that might be used in the advanced rounds of the tournament (that
is, in the four Elite Trait battles, the two Final Roar battles and the Championship battle) are announced during the
pre-season, with the ecosystem to be used being revealed in “real time” during the play-by-play narration. Colors
are largely indexical to represent predominant hue(s) within the ecosystem. Generally, greens represent forest,
blues represent aquatic systems, ochres represent scrublands and sandy deserts, and gray represent urban spaces.
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 7 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
impacting numerous other taxa (Coggan et al., Battle outcomes
2018). The conclusion of these imaginary encounters
among tournament combatants typically fall into
“Beaver ponds are prime habitat for three general domains; “Red, in tooth and claw”
Mink’s preferred meal... MUSKRAT (to quote from “In Memoriam A.H.H.” by Lord
(Crego et al., 2016). Beaver brings all the Tennyson), “the better part of Valour, is Discre-
Mink to the yard, because their Muskrat, tion” (from Henry IV, Part 1 by Shakespeare),
it’s better than yours. Dam right, it’s better and Deus ex Machina (Figure 4). Lethal or dev-
than yours #BeaverDamPond
astating injuries can occur from predation, anti-
#2019MMM”
—Scientist-Narrator Tweet predator defense, territorial encounters, or con-
flict over a recent kill, and were coded as a
Impacts of the human-driven global climate “technical knock out” (TKO). Scientist-narrators
crisis, such as extreme sea ice retreat
have described apex predators’ mortal attacks
(Durner et al., 2011), permafrost thaw-slumping
on mesopredators, parental defense of young,
(Wang et al., 2014), and range constriction on
and other intentional conflicts that escalated
altitudinal gradients (Henry et al., 2012) have
into physical attacks. TKO outcomes occurred in
been decisive factors in battle outcomes. Narra-
~50% of tournament battles (N=225/451). But in
tions have further stressed that in addition to
nature the injury risks and/or energy costs asso-
the humanitarian devastations associated with
ciated with physical attacks, when weighed
human conflict, warfare has significant, though
against potential benefit, can frequently precipi-
poorly understood, ecological impacts
tate de-escalation, retreat, or withdrawal
(Machlis and Hanson, 2008).
(Parker and Rubenstein, 1981; Archer et al.,
1994; Briffa and Sneddon, 2007), outcomes
often intentionally featured in March Mammal
Madness (32%, N=146/451).
Figure 4. How battles end in March Mammal Madness. Most battles conclude with a fatal or debilitating
encounter between the two combatants (also known as a technical knock out or TKO). Withdrawals from the
encounter are also common, as are third-party interventions (Deus ex Machina) that cause one combatant to
advance in the tournament.
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Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
The device of Deus ex Machina, resolution via Winner effects may manifest, if the aggressive
an unexpected and external agent, is used by encounter involves a well-matched opponent
scientist-narrators to highlight important sources and the combatant retains home court advan-
of mortality for species, account for improbable tage (Fuxjager et al., 2009; Huang et al.,
outcomes forced by improbable outcome ran- 2011). At times battle narrations have made use
domization, or to diversify story arcs across bat- of cliffhanger devices. For example, after defeat-
tles. While only a small proportion of outcomes ing a tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), a
(5.5%, N=25/451), the Deus ex Machina device fisher (Pekania pennanti) was trapped and trans-
often incenses players, but suggests particularly ported to the Calgary Zoo. In the next battle,
strong long-term retention of information. For the audience learned the combatant had
example, in 2014 in a 1st-round battle between a become a part of the Cascades Fisher Reintro-
fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) and a pangolin (Manis duction Project and relocated in time for their
crassicaudata), a poacher collected the defen- next battle in Mt. Rainier National Park
sively curled pangolin for illegal animal traffick- (Lewis, 2017). In this way, story arcs are built
ing. The day before this battle was live-tweeted, across the weeks of the tournament as the fan-
the IUCN Pangolin working group reported pan-
dom cheers and jeers underdogs, dark horses,
golins as the most trafficked animal globally
scaredy-cats, lone wolves, and long shots, as
(Zhou et al., 2014), hence making for not only a
would-be champions experience triumph or
topical and timely narrative, but a 3rd party inter-
trouncing on this figurative field of battle.
vention that players continue to spontaneously
bemoan years later. Tournament champions are most typically
“Other” outcomes (12%, N=55/451) featured apex predators or large-bodied herbivores –
in March Mammal Madness battles include prior- African elephant (Loxodonta africana, 2013),
itization of foraging, dam-building, nest reloca- spotted hyena clan (Crocuta crocuta, 2014),
tion, distraction by mating competition, Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis,
electrocution (Kumar and Kumar, 2015), Takot- 2015), tundra wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis,
subo cardiomyopathy (Blumstein et al., 2015), 2016), middle Pleistocene short-faced running
foraging exclusion, displacement, and cryptic bear (Arctodus simus, 2017), pygmy hippo
hiding. Typically, the better-seeded species (Choeropsis liberiensis, 2018), and Bengal tiger
defeated the worse-seeded species, but on aver- (Panthera tigris tigris, 2019).To date, a non-
age 22% (mean=13 ± 2.2 sd) of battle outcomes mammal has yet to achieve tournament cham-
involved an “upset” in which the worse-seeded pion, a state of affairs entirely due to empiri-
species advanced. In the NCAA men’s basket- cally-grounded probabilities within the
ball March Madness tournament, tournament structure and certainly not due to
historically ~22% of outcomes have been charac- taxonomic biases (Batt, 2009; Schlegel and
terized as “upsets” (Greenburg, 2019). We do Rupf, 2010) that influence research effort and
note, however, that the NCAA definition of the scholarly literature (Jarić et al., 2019;
upset is more conservative in terms of relative Bezanson and McNamara, 2019) or the tourna-
rankings – 2 or more seeds distant – as is appro- ment architect.
priate for a more evenly-matched tournament in
which all participants are of the same species. Battle artwork
Events occurring in one round are carried for- Eleven artists have created N = 669 depictions
ward in a combatant’s story arc. Combatants of combatant species for the March Mammal
advancing in the tournament have had to grap- Madness tournament. After playing the tourna-
ple with snapped canines, wrenched knee joints, ment in 2014, tattoo artist and scientific illustra-
wound infections, envenomations, and zoonotic tor Charon Henning approached the narrators
disease transmissions. Scientist-narrators even and offered to contribute artwork of the com-
account for gut passage time since last meal batants. In 2015, Henning joined MMM leader-
when describing motivation for predation. ship as tournament art director. Artists have
used both digital approaches and traditional
“Having gorged on capybara only yester- illustration media, including graphite, pen and
day, Coyote & Badger are "full & lazy" as ink, scratchboard, and acrylic paints, to depict
happens to carnivores on "many days of each of the competitors (Figure 5). Artists cre-
their lives" (Jeschke, 2007) #2019MMM” ated individual illustrations for each competitor
—Scientist-Narrator Tweet for their tournament debut, and a “victory” illus-
tration with each advance in the tournament.
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 9 of 37Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
First round artwork has generally been produced including important germinal studies of animal
with a minimum of detail, while illustrations for behavior and natural history (Burghardt, 2020).
advances became sequentially more refined. As Naturalists’ detailed, integrative descriptions of
a result, by the completion of the tournament, behavioral and physical characteristics are excel-
the champion competitor has been depicted in lent for crafting MMM narratives, although
seven individual illustrations. Beginning in 2016, experimental and explanatory science has
the championship portrait has been an art fusion increasingly displaced descriptive natural history,
with contributions from each illustrator involved a significant loss to science and society that has
in that year’s tournament. been decried for decades (Tewksbury et al.,
Using the Latin binomials, artists conduct 2014; Greene, 2005; Schmidly, 2005). Empiri-
illustration research and at times consult scien- cal citations with amazing, but real facts, can be
tist-narrators for further information on a given instrumental for substantiating narrative out-
species. Academic publications, species experts,
comes in hotly-debated MMM match-ups that
and museum resources are valuable and neces-
generate intense emotions among players. Pri-
sary components in creating accurate and com-
mary literature can often reveal important natu-
pelling illustrations. In 2015, the Critically
ral history that is often elided in the online
Endangered Division presented challenges due
sources typically used by tournament players
to the dearth of photographic reference mate-
researching their bracket predictions. For exam-
rial. Many species in this division were only
ple, many players had high hopes for the platy-
known from museum collections and antiquated
scientific illustrations, requiring time-intensive pus upon discovering during pre-tournament
cross-referencing with closely related species to research that the platypus is one of the rare ven-
better understand life-like appearances of these omous mammals. But during the battle play-by-
species. The art pieces for this division, however, play, followers were astonished to learn that
were particularly notable for the inspired idea to platypus venom varies seasonally.
incorporate extinction threat elements into the “But platypus mating season is over and
art pieces. All revenue generated by the sale of now his venomous spurs are shooting
tournament artwork through the Society6 shop blanks! Indeed, March is when the crural
(https://society6.com/mammalmadness) is equi- glands that produce platypus venom ARE
tably divided among the artistic team. MOST SHRUNKEN AND USELESS
(Grant and Temple–Smith, 1998)
Scholarly content in battle narrations #2018MMM”
—Scientist-Narrator Tweet
The descriptions of species and environments
and explanations of encounters that are pro- The scholarly contributions extend beyond
vided in the "battles” of March Mammal Mad- the official narration tweets. Beginning in 2015,
ness rely extensively on the academic literature. the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM),
Since the tournament’s inception in 2013 until via the Informatics Committee, has systemati-
the 2019 Championship, March Mammal Mad- cally featured 241 unique photographs of com-
ness battles included citations to N = 1078 batant taxa from the ASM Mammal Images
scholarly sources, including N = 1016 peer- Library. As a nonprofit, educational program of
reviewed journal articles from N = 350 journals. the society, the Mammal Images Library is a
The number of scholarly publications cited each curated collection of >4700 high-resolution
year has generally increased across the tourna-
images of extant and extinct mammalian spe-
ment years (Figure 6A), showing marked
cies. These images, expertly identified to current
increases in conjunction with expansions of the
taxonomy, are freely available for educational
narration team in 2014 (N = 4 scientist-narrators)
use at the ASM website, mammalsociety.org.
and 2017 (N = 11 scientist-narrators). The Jour-
Since 2016, Professors Anne Stone and Melissa
nal of Mammalogy, PLoS One, and the Journal
of Zoology are most frequently cited by scien- Wilson contributed tweets featuring genetic and
tist-narrators, and many other animal-focused phylogenetic information about combatants cit-
and general science journals are represented ing an additional ~175 sources annually
among the top-cited journals in March Mammal (Figure 6A). March Mammal Madness allows sci-
Madness (Figure 6B). The majority of scholarly entists to translate scientific academese directly
sources, N = 689 (64%), were published in the in accessible, dynamic narration paired with
21 st century (Figure 6C), but some citations exquisite illustration. In so doing, we reach a
included writings dating back to the 1700s broader distribution of the next generation and
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 10 of 37Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach Figure 5. Artistic representations of some previous tournament combatants. (A) Cheetah by Charon Henning [http://www.charonhenning.com/]; (B) Tag Team Mutualists, the warthog and the mongoose, by Mary Casillas [marycasillas.wix.com/paintings]; (C) Thylacine by Olivia Pellicer [opellisms.com]; (D) Red squirrel by Charon Henning; (E) Honey badger by Charon Henning; (F) Moose by Valeria Pellicer [http://www.vpellicerart.com/]; (G) Spotted hyena by Charon Henning; (H) Coyote by Mary Cassilas; (I) Andrewsarchus mongoliensis by Charon Henning. Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 11 of 37
Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
Figure 6. The scientific literature within March Mammal Madness. (A) During the tournament, hundreds of citations from the scholarly literature are
embedded in play-by-play battle tweets from the scientist-narrators and introductory and RIP tweets from the genetics team. (B) The top 25 journals
cited in the battle narrations. (C) Most of the papers cited in the battle narrations were published after 2000.
more effectively inspire appreciation for the vivid from Editors [Anderson, Hinde]. As the narration
splendor of the natural world. team has grown, team members alternate serv-
ing as back-channel stage manager to direct the
complex sequence of ordered battles on Twitter
Timeline, teams, and skillsets
each tournament night.
Compelling, infectious, far-reaching SciComm is
In addition to the geneticists, professional
not created de novo, but rather is built cumula- societies, museums, artists, librarians, educa-
tively through intentional design, considered tional amplifier, journal publishers, and curricular
expansion, transdisciplinary collaboration, and designer whose integration into the tournament
no small amount of serendipity. Although initially team were described above, numerous others
created in 2013 as a reaction to a non-science have volunteered, most often spontaneously,
based animal bracket (Cole, 2015) and for psy- their skillsets toward enhancing the tournament.
chological resilience in light of other scholarly The bracket went from janky to elegant in 2016
activities (Clancy et al., 2014; Nelson et al., courtesy of graphic designer Nickley, and under-
2017), March Mammal Madness has grown sub- graduate and graduate students have generated
stantially from its inaugural year. In response to sports-style battle summaries that are posted
player and educator feedback and volunteered across social media platforms since 2018 [Les-
expertise, we have refined and expanded the ciotto, Krell, Martin]. Fossil ornithologist, Chen,
tournament offerings each year (Figure 7). Bio- tracks taxonomic representation and generates
logical anthropologists, evolutionary biologists, a color-coded combatant phylogeny annually.
entomologists, mammalogists, marine biologists, The Aldo Leopold Foundation provided an inter-
paleoanthropologists, primatologists, and wild- mission message, sharing an enduring ethos of
life biologists have been instrumental, individu- land stewardship through paired images and
ally and in teams, in crafting battle narratives for quotations from 2016 to 2019 [Kobylecky].
the “performance science” of live tweeting the Launched independently via YouTube, MC Mar-
play-by-plays [Anderson, Brokaw, Chestnut, mot and the Rodent Roundtable is a sports-style
Connors, Dasari, Drew, Durgavich, Hilborn, rundown puppet show that was an instant hit
Hinde, Kissel, Lee, Lewton, Light, Murphy, Tanis, with school children in 2017 [Dietrick, Easterl-
Wilson, Varner] with varying amounts of input ing]. MC Marmot now collaborates actively with
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 12 of 37Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
Figure 7. Timeline of development and new elements in March Mammal Madness. When MMM started in 2013, a single scientist-narrator designed
the bracket and reported battle outcomes, but was joined by a team of scientist-narrators in 2014. In 2015, the team expanded to include artists,
museum staff, and a dedicated MMMletsgo Twitter account. An academic publisher curated a special MMM collection issue for the first time in 2017. In
recent years, we have expanded the teaching materials for K-12 Educators.
the MMM team as they prepare their science accessible accuracy in science communication
comedy scripts. In response to an emailed (Yong, 2010), and these techniques are more
request from the principal of a school in the effective with audiences than the compounding
United States serving children with hearing- obfuscation generated by pedantic attention to
impairment, MC Marmot added closed-caption- inaccessible precision, indecipherable jargon,
ing to videos in 2019. Collaboration is a key and overwhelming comprehensiveness. Contrib-
component of successful online outreach utors to MMM gain visibility, a wider audience
(Bik et al., 2015). March Mammal Madness rou- through new followers, and an expanded social
tinely demonstrates that ‘teamwork makes the media network. Additionally, contributors’ study
dream work’ but even more exemplifies the taxa and topics are intentionally showcased in
emergent, ephemeral alchemy of a creative col- the tournament. MMM contributors have been
lective brought together through their respec- featured in media interviews, podcasts, news
tive knowledge, complementary skills, and stories, and blogs that discuss the tournament,
shared love of the natural world. expanding their media experience and connec-
In addition to the contributions from well- tions with science journalists. In this way, the
established science communicators, MMM broader impacts of March Mammal Madness are
serves as an incubator for SciComm skill devel- twofold, both in communicating science to the
opment and media training for trainees and fac- public and preparing scientists to publicly com-
ulty. The diverse skillsets among the MMM team municate. Moreover, the MMM contributor com-
facilitate an annual “SciComm spring training” munity supports, mentors, cheers, and cares for
for messaging to the public. Scientists learn to each other throughout the year. Informal peer-
prioritize story-telling (Neeley et al., 2020) and support networks are important in the
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 13 of 37Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
actively engage during the “battles,” but facili-
tates an active, interconnected community
among the citizenry. Students, fans, scientists,
academics, and institutions hilariously interact
during the weeks of the tournament and, to a
lesser extent, throughout the year. In this way,
March Mammal Madness reaches many “pub-
lics” and explicitly dismantles boundaries among
scientists, students, and the broader members
of society (Varner, 2014; Jarreau et al., 2019;
Cheplygina et al., 2020), an important compo-
nent in stemming misinformation (Scheufele and
Krause, 2019).
Particularly compelling jokes, combatants,
themes, and controversies become ongoing
hashtags (Buarki and Alkhateeb, 2018). Hash-
tags, such as #2019MMM, function to coordi-
nate creators and consumers toward relevant
content on social media platforms. In this way,
searching or following hashtags facilitates access
to topics and communities. On Twitter, users
have “real time” content in their “timeline”, and
can use hashtags to filter popular or recent
tweets. Scientist-narrator celebration of carni-
vore dentition has perpetuated into the peren-
nial exclamation of #carnassials. Bloodthirsty
spectators disappointed in accurate withdrawal
outcomes have for years hollered for #carnage.
In response, plant biologists now routinely decry
the rampant #PlantCarnage perpetrated by her-
bivores in battle narrations. In 2016, the giant
Figure 8. MMM promoted National No One Eats Alone Day in 2019. “Today is National
panda was described as simultaneously “the
No One Eats Alone Day to promote inclusion and acceptance in schools! https://
worst bear” and “the worst herbivore,” due to
nooneeatsalone.org Did you know that sometimes Coyotes and Badgers hunt together?
Coyote and Badger agree: #NoOneEatsAlone art by @Opellisms #2019MMM #TagTeam” —
poor digestion of the cellulose that comprises
@Mammals_Suck. the majority of the panda’s diet – earning the
continuing moniker #WorstBear (Wool-
ston, 2016). In 2019, the inclusion of mutualists
development of early-career researchers Bornean Bat (Kerivoula hardwickii) & Pitcher
(Macoun and Miller, 2014), particularly for iden- Plant (Nepenthes hemsleyana) not only inspired
tities underrepresented in academia the hashtag #TeamBatToilet, but also the fan-
(Agosto et al., 2016). The use of Twitter as a created Twitter account @TeamBatToilet that
primary platform expands the opportunities for heckled, cheered, and informed throughout the
informal mentoring and support and can accom- tournament. One particularly purrsistent fan-
modate the unfortunately transient aspects of generated hashtag has been #CatScandal, as
early career stages by facilitating access to col- felid aficionados pawsited that systematic bias,
leagues and confidants regardless of geographic rather than infurriority, contributed to the early
location (Ferguson and Wheat, 2015). exits of cat combatants from the tournament
(Kosmala, 2016).
But one MMM joke outsizes them all (no, not
Emergent community: public, the Paraceratherium ‘Walter’). During a 2016
scientists, and institutions first round mustelid-e-mustelid battle, Prof. Kristi
Although tournament content is widely available Lewton narrated the relative mass “1 wolverine
across multiple social media and website plat- = 67 stoats,” a hilarious device subsequently
forms, the most dynamical interactive aspects applied to additional battle narrations as numer-
occur on Twitter. Twitter not only provides the ous combatants were converted into stoat units.
figurative amphitheater allowing spectators to Several nights later, Lewton reported her
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 14 of 37Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
2019 to eight museums, but the AMNH’s cham-
pion Nimravid was eliminated in the 2nd round in
a stunning upset that featured scientific findings
from the AMNH’s own archives (Toohey, 1959).
The museum Twitter accounts provided light-
hearted and hilarious interactions, thereby bring-
ing #2019MMM to their social media communi-
ties. The Tag Team Division of species
mutualisms in 2019 presented an exceptional
opportunity to highlight National No One Eats
Alone Day on February 15th, a student-led effort
Figure 9. Increasing engagement on social media. (A) The number of pageviews for MMM to promote social inclusion and acceptance
blog posts increased over time, as did engagement on twitter (B), as measured by the (Figure 8).
number of tweets using the MMM hashtag (solid blue line) and the number of timeline User engagement in the March Mammal
deliveries (dashed grey line). Madness tournament increased across multiple
domains and platforms over the years. Views of
the annual tournament blogpost have increased
discovery that the stoat unit of measurement
ninefold from N = 30,000 in 2013 to
was used as early as 1866 when esteemed natu-
N = 272,000 in 2019 (Figure 9A) a rate of
ral historian and Royal Society Fellow George
growth exceeding the background growth in
Allman described an otter shrew as “somewhat
Twitter (Leetaru, 2019). We tracked hashtag
larger than a stoat” in his treatise on the clade in
use on Twitter during the 2017–2019 tourna-
the Transactions of the Zoological Society of
ments. Although ~1400 tweets annually are offi-
London. Subsequently the artistic director and
cial tweets generated by the MMM team, an
editor collaborated to create an official conver-
additional 40,000+ tweets are created or shared
sion chart. To date, #StoatsAsMeasurement
by the active MMM Twitter community
remains one of the most popular MMM hashtags (Figure 9B). In 2019, the highest annual hashtag
among fans (and scientist-narrators), routinely use to date, 5400 accounts used the tournament
tweeted hundreds of times each year. hashtag, tweeting to 13.3 million followers.
March Mammal Madness intentionally builds Cumulative estimates of timeline deliveries of
connections with other science communication tweets using the tournament hashtag 2017–2019
and education campaigns. Battle narrations rou- are in excess of 339 million, although not all
tinely use well-established science Twitter hash- tweets will be seen by all followers (Figure 9B).
tags such as #ActualLivingScientist On Twitter, as of fall 2019, the tournament
#MammalWatching, #UnderratedUngulate, account had 17,000+ followers and retweeted
#PoopScience, and #FieldWorkFail only official tournament tweets by organizers
(Becker, 2017, Feldkamp, 2017, Irwin, 2018; and contributors, thus showcasing only scientific
Jourdane, 2017) that have crossed-over into and artistic content while shielding followers
mainstream media discourse. To launch the from any fandom intensity that manifests as pro-
MMM “preseason” the first week of February fane exclamations on the tournament hashtag.
beginning in 2018, we collaborated with estab- This “MMMletsgo” account was spontaneously
lished twitter games #CougarOrNot, #Street- created in 2016 by then high school junior
Creatures, #GuessThatCrest, #TrickyBirdID Emma Willcocks, and she continued to maintain
#NameThatMammal #ButtOfWhat and #Name- the account as a college undergraduate major-
ThatCarcass, helmed by experts in mammalogy, ing in Biology. All official tournament tweets
ornithology, and urban animals (Bartels, 2017; since 2013 have been archived, initially on Stor-
Becker, 2019; LaRue, 2018) for a SciComm ify, but with the scheduled extinction of that
cross-promotion extravaganza of MMM combat- platform in 2018, the March Mammal Madness
ant reveals. In recent years, museums have collection was migrated to Wakelet where it con-
engaged in tongue-in-cheek twitter flame wars tinues to be curated. All scientific content of
to showcase their collections, giving rise to tournament battles remains available and, to
#MuseumSnowBallFight (Nied, 2018) and ‘Best date, the archive has been viewed tens of thou-
Duck’ (Birkhead, 2019). In 2018, the American sands of times. As of Fall 2019, 6,500+ accounts
Museum of Natural History defeated the Field followed the March Mammal Madness Facebook
Museum in their MMM bracket competition. page and the day the 2019 tournament bracket
This museum bracket challenge expanded in dropped the FB post organically reached
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 15 of 37Feature Article Education and Outreach March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach
Taylor, 2018). Across tournament years, use of
the ASU Library March Mammal Madness Lib-
Guide has increased 14-fold, from N = 18,992
page views in 2017 to N = 274,926 in 2019. Not
only is this the highest traffic LibGuide created
at ASU, in 2019 the MMM LibGuide was the
125th out of over 700,000 LibGuides on Spring-
share, putting it in the top 0.0002% on the plat-
form. Each year, the top three elements of the
MMM LibGuide have consistently been the ‘How
to Play’ (38 ± 7%), ‘Annual Tournament Informa-
tion Page’ (29 ± 4%), and ‘Animal Information’
(26 ± 4%). The ‘Animal Information’ page of the
LibGuide links to resources such as Animal
Diversity Web, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and
Conservation Biology Institute, and the Encyclo-
Figure 10. Pageviews of the ASU LibGuide before and during the MMM tournament. Daily pedia of Life as students conduct background
page views for the MMM ASU LibGuide were greatest during the pre-tournament research research to make predictions for bracket out-
period, but active traffic was sustained during the tournament as seen for 2017, 2018 and
comes. Use of the MMM LibGuide is primarily
2019; for each year, day 0 is the day the tournament bracket was released.
during the pre-tournament period after brackets
of species combatants have been publicly
43,000+ Facebook newsfeeds from user engage- released but before the tournament battle narra-
ment. These social media engagement numbers tions have begun (Figure 10). Importantly, the
for followers, shares, and retweets indicate that MMM LibGuide provides a stable location for
tournament content is broadly reaching public the tournament information year-to-year to aid
audiences (Côté and Darling, 2018; educator and student use and the .edu webad-
McClain, 2019). Moreover, social media dress is not typically blocked by school or library
engagement around natural world content has public computer browser filters (Cameron et al.,
been associated with increased donations to 2019).
conservation campaigns (Lenda et al., 2020) Oxford University Press has curated a special
and long-term changes in species awareness issue of articles from the Journal of Mammalogy
(Fernández-Bellon and Kane, 2020). and Mammalian Species that feature combatant
species since 2017. This special issue is hosted
under the OUP banner of the American Society
Educational resources, of Mammalogists Journals. Initially providing
propagation, and impact nine articles to the top-seeded combatants in
Beginning in 2017, Arizona State University each division for 2017, the special issue has
(ASU) Librarian Anali Perry and colleagues cre- expanded to include articles for N = 20 mamma-
ated a March Mammal Madness Library Guide lian species in 2018 and N = 25 in 2019. Traffic
(LibGuide) to provide links to freely available, to the special issue each March has been mono-
reliable online sources of animal information for tonically increasing from N = 1743 pageviews in
students and others as they make their bracket 2017 to N = 12,110 in 2019. Indeed, in 2019,
predictions (Perry et al., 2017). LibGuides are a traffic to the March Mammal Madness special
standard platform to provide information, collect issue accounted for over 14% of all traffic to the
resources, and curate content around a theme journal for the entire month of March.
or subject and are the primary proprietary Educators have increasingly adopted March
guide-creation platform within library sciences Mammal Madness due to word-of-mouth about
(Bowen, 2014; Griffin and Taylor, 2018). teacher and student enthusiasm, intentional
Developed by Springshare in 2007, LibGuides design of curricular materials, and educational
are designed to be easy to create and update resources such as the ASU LibGuide. In response
directly by library staff, like a blog interface, and to informal teacher feedback, we invited educa-
structured for intuitive navigation by users tors in February 2017 to submit requests for
(Bowen, 2014). The platform collects usage sta- early access to the bracket to facilitate planning
tistics and can generate customized usage for classroom use before it became publicly
reports to assess how users are navigating the available. We expanded this practice in 2018 to
resource (Gessner et al., 2015; Griffin and include not only early release of the bracket, but
Hinde et al. eLife 2021;10:e65066. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65066 16 of 37You can also read
