Spectrum #66: Order these snakes by typical length — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from October 19, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, shortest to longest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these snakes by typical length, shortest at the top and longest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Green anaconda
- Reticulated python
- Garter snake
- Boa constrictor
- King cobra
- Black mamba
Nothing was in its place; Green anaconda opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Garter snake is the shortest of the six at 2 ft and Reticulated python the longest at 21 ft. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Garter snake (2 ft) and Black mamba (8 ft) — 6 ft apart. Everything above that line belongs on the shortest side and everything below it on the longest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Black mamba (8 ft) and Boa constrictor (10 ft) are only 2 ft 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
| # | Shortest to Longest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garter snake | 2 ft |
| 2 | Black mamba | 8 ft |
| 3 | Boa constrictor | 10 ft |
| 4 | King cobra | 12 ft |
| 5 | Green anaconda | 17 ft |
| 6 | Reticulated python | 21 ft |
Previous: Spectrum #65 (Sun, Oct 18) · Next: Spectrum #67 (Tue, Oct 20) · 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.