Spectrum #67: Order these animals by height — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from October 20, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, shortest to tallest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these animals by height, shortest at the top and tallest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- African elephant
- Moose
- Red kangaroo
- Emperor penguin
- Ostrich
- Giraffe
Giraffe was already in place; African elephant opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Emperor penguin is the shortest of the six at 3.9 ft and Giraffe the tallest at 18 ft. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between African elephant (11 ft) and Giraffe (18 ft) — 7 ft apart. Everything above that line belongs on the shortest side and everything below it on the tallest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Red kangaroo (5.9 ft) and Moose (6.5 ft) are only 0.5999999999999996 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 Tallest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emperor penguin | 3.9 ft |
| 2 | Red kangaroo | 5.9 ft |
| 3 | Moose | 6.5 ft |
| 4 | Ostrich | 9 ft |
| 5 | African elephant | 11 ft |
| 6 | Giraffe | 18 ft |
Previous: Spectrum #66 (Mon, Oct 19) · Next: Spectrum #68 (Wed, Oct 21) · 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.