Spectrum #61: Order these animals by number of eyes — the solution

The Spectrum puzzle from October 14, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, fewest to most, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.

The puzzle

Order these animals by number of eyes, fewest at the top and most at the bottom. The board opened in this order:

1. Caterpillar
2. Box jellyfish
3. Tuatara
4. Human
5. Spider
6. Scallop

Scallop was already in place; Caterpillar opened 3 places from home.

The walkthrough

The ends first. Human is the fewest of the six at 2 eyes and Scallop the most at 200 eyes. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.

Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Box jellyfish (24 eyes) and Scallop (200 eyes) — 176 eyes apart. Everything above that line belongs on the fewest side and everything below it on the most side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.

The closest call. Human (2 eyes) and Tuatara (3 eyes) are only 1 eyes apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.

The answer

Previous: Spectrum #60 (Tue, Oct 13) · Next: Spectrum #62 (Thu, Oct 15) · All Spectrum solutions

About Spectrum

Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.