Spectrum #89: Order these animals by number of teeth — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from November 11, 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 teeth, fewest at the top and most at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- House cat
- Virginia opossum
- Bottlenose dolphin
- Dog
- Garden snail
- Adult human
House cat was already in place; Adult human opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. House cat is the fewest of the six at 30 teeth and Garden snail the most at 14,000 teeth. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Bottlenose dolphin (88 teeth) and Garden snail (14,000 teeth) — 13,912 teeth 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. House cat (30 teeth) and Adult human (32 teeth) are only 2 teeth 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
| # | Fewest to Most | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | House cat | 30 teeth |
| 2 | Adult human | 32 teeth |
| 3 | Dog | 42 teeth |
| 4 | Virginia opossum | 50 teeth |
| 5 | Bottlenose dolphin | 88 teeth |
| 6 | Garden snail | 14,000 teeth |
Previous: Spectrum #88 (Tue, Nov 10) · Next: Spectrum #90 (Thu, Nov 12) · 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.