DAILY NO. 49 · VERIFIED MEASUREMENTS
The November 9, 2026 puzzle ran from a giant wētā at 10 cm to a giant stick insect at 56 cm — about 6× apart, drawing on insects & bugs. The pair furthest apart was round 3: a Goliath beetle is about 1.4× smaller than a hot dog.
Puzzle #49 asked about a giant wētā, a giant stick insect, a Goliath beetle, a Goliath birdeater and a giant centipede. Each answer below gives the measured size, the reference it stood beside and the source behind the number. Want the surprise first? Replay this puzzle — archived days never touch your streak.
Answer: Giant Wētā — 10 cm. A giant wētā measures 10 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, a monarch butterfly at 10 cm.
One of the heaviest insects on Earth — a large female outweighs a sparrow.
Common miss: players tend to inflate a giant wētā when it sits beside a monarch butterfly — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Giant Stick Insect — 56 cm. A giant stick insect measures 56 cm (length / span), which is 1.2× as big as the reference, a domestic cat at 46 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 domestic cat — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Goliath Beetle — 11 cm. A Goliath beetle measures 11 cm (length / span), which is about 1.4× smaller than the reference, a hot dog at 15 cm.
Among the heaviest insects alive — the larvae can reach 100 g.
Common miss: players tend to inflate a Goliath beetle when it sits beside a hot dog — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Goliath Birdeater — 28 cm. A Goliath birdeater measures 28 cm (length / span), which is almost exactly the same size as the reference, an American football at 28 cm.
Its leg span can be wider than a dinner plate.
Common miss: players tend to inflate a Goliath birdeater when it sits beside an American football — big things get squeezed, small familiar things get stretched.
Answer: Giant Centipede — 30 cm. A giant centipede measures 30 cm (length / span), which is about 1.2× smaller than the reference, a large pizza at 35.6 cm.
Scolopendra gigantea hunts bats in mid-air, plucking them from cave ceilings.
Common miss: players tend to inflate a giant centipede when it sits beside a large pizza — 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.