Animal Planet Cheers on College Sports Fans with Mascot Madness During the Big Dance

Mascots are as much a part of the college experience as keg parties and final exams. Nowhere is the mascot more prevalent than college athletics. During the Fall, mascots take to the football field and move to indoor arenas during basketball season.

While football offers a larger venue, basketball is a more intimate, allowing the crowd to have greater access to their mascot. And as loyal as college football and basketball fans are to their teams, they are equally as loyal to their mascots.

Mascots elicit passion, devotion and pride every time they take the court or field. With the NCAA Basketball Tournament (the Big Dance, March Madness) just around the corner, Animal Planet has decided to take a look at the hoopla (no pun intended) surrounding the college mascot. These symbols of team spirit and looks at the facts, lore, legend, tradition and history behind the creatures that have rallied alumni and students for decades!

Fans have long debated which team mascot would truly win in battle -- on and off the field of play. What makes a good animal mascot? How and why are college mascots chosen? Are the best ones the most ferocious like a lion (Penn State) or as swift as a wildcat (Arizona)? Are they majestic like an eagle (Boston College) or loyal like a bulldog (Georgia)? And should you be embarrassed if your team is represented by the turtle (Maryland) or Horned Frog (TCU)? These animals are mascots chosen for their bravery, tenacity and leadership. There must be a reason they were chosen to lead their school, right?

Animal Planet reveals the animal who is the nation's #1 animal mascot in a one-hour countdown special called MASCOT MADNESS on Sunday, April 1, 2007 at 8 PM (ET/PT). Slated to air during "The Big Dance", the NCAA Final Four, MASCOT MADNESS is hosted by Animal Planet animal expert Jeff Corwin, and ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso. They count down to America's favorite animal mascot, determined by fans who will vote online.

Jeff and Lee will be joined in the studio by some of the most iconic mascots in college; Buzz the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket; Testudo the Maryland Terrapin; Bucky the Wisconsin Badger; the Cincinnati Bearcat; the Horned Frog of Texas Christian University; and Peter the Anteater from UC- Irvine. Throughout the special and online at AnimalPlanet.com, viewers will get interesting facts and trivia about their favorite team mascot and animal species.

The final animal mascot categories culminating in a winner on MASCOT MADNESS are as follows (in alphabetical order):

-- Bears
-- Birds
-- Bugs
-- Canines
-- Cats
-- Marsupials
-- Range Animals
-- Reptiles
-- Sea Creatures
-- Small Creatures

In addition, there are three special "wild card" categories, including Sidekicks, Mythological Creatures and Most Unusual Creatures.
At the fan site for http://www.AnimalPlanet.com/mascotmadness, viewers can go online to find out additional information about MASCOT MADNESS, a photo gallery, puzzles, a message board, "view and vote" on mascots and a trivia quiz section.