By Tim Binnall
In what has become something of a strange Super Bowl staple in recent years, a veritable menagerie of creatures from zoos, aquariums, and wildlife parks across America have been enlisted to predict which team will win Sunday's showdown between Kansas City and San Francisco. Based on the prognostications recorded so far, it would seem that the animal kingdom has given a slight edge to the Chiefs with several creatures predicting a win for Taylor Swift's favorite team, though the 49ers have also received their fair share of support.
Among the animals 'envisioning' a Kansas City victory are Vulcan the lion from Utah's Hogle Zoo, the delightfully named catfish James Pond from Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo, and Norwalk, Connecticut's Rasal the harbor seal. A pair of red pandas also found themselves in agreement on the outcome of the game with both the Akron Zoo's Lulu and ZooMontana's Pabu forecasting yet another Super Bowl ring for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Completing the proverbial animal pile-on for the Chiefs was a troop of patas monkeys from the Topeka Zoo.
Meanwhile, animals forecasting a 49ers win are seasoned Super Bowl prognosticator Nicholas the dolphin from Florida's Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and Boone the cougar, who resides at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens in the city of Sanford. Representing the reptilian community, Raja the Komodo Dragon from the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Utah also predicted victory for San Francisco. And, in a 'controversial' call that required a judge's ruling, the California Living Museum's black bear Cinnamon threw his support behind quarterback Brock Purdy's team as well.
49ers fans should not necessarily fret over falling behind in the animal Super Bowl prediction tally as there will undoubtedly be more creatures weighing in on the contest over the weekend as local TV stations look for ways to take advantage of the annual Super Bowl frenzy that grips America each year. Additionally, when these same two teams faced off back in 2020, San Francisco was actually considered the favorite of the various creatures called upon to offer predictions, yet they ultimately came up short in the big game. With that in mind, who is your pick to win the Super Bowl? Share your prediction with us at the Coast to Coast AM Facebook page.