DAILY NO. 18 · VERIFIED MEASUREMENTS
The five insects & bugs objects from the Size It Up puzzle on September 18, 2026, with the measured size of each, the reference it was compared against, a source you can check, and how the community's guesses landed. Want the surprise first? Replay this puzzle — archived days never touch your streak.
Answer: an Atlas moth wingspan measures 27 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, an American football at 28 cm.
Atlas moths have some of the largest wings of any insect.
Common miss: players tend to inflate an Atlas moth wingspan when it sits beside an American football — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: a praying mantis measures 10 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, a monarch butterfly at 10 cm.
A mantis can turn its head almost all the way round, which few insects manage.
Common miss: players tend to inflate a praying mantis when it sits beside a monarch butterfly — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: a large dragonfly measures 12 cm (length / span), which is 1.2× as big as the reference, a hamburger at 10 cm.
Dragonflies catch their prey on over ninety per cent of attempts, the best hit rate of any predator.
Common miss: players tend to compress a large dragonfly when it sits beside a hamburger — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: a giant stick insect measures 56 cm (length / span), which is 1.3× as big as the reference, a computer keyboard at 44 cm.
Record stick insects can exceed half a metre with legs extended.
Common miss: players tend to compress a giant stick insect when it sits beside a computer keyboard — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: a Goliath birdeater measures 28 cm (length / span), which is 1.2× as big as the reference, an NBA basketball at 24.3 cm.
Its leg span can be wider than a dinner plate.
Common miss: players tend to compress a Goliath birdeater when it sits beside an NBA basketball — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Sizes are measured along the axis named in each round and link to their published source. Explore the full library by category, or read how scoring works.