Puzzle #2 · Thursday, October 1

Eight animals.
Where does each one fit?

Tap the best category for each, in order: one wave, judged out of 10.

European hedgehog
Narwhal
Moose
Galápagos tortoise
Capybara
Canada goose
Giant Pacific octopus
American cockroach

Put each animal in the category where it scores best: one to a category, in the lineup's order, so plan for the ones still to come. It's one wave: tap a category and the animal is in, final, and your surfer throws a trick for it, the better the fit, the bigger the trick. After the eighth, five judges score your whole wave out of 10.

European hedgehogRolls into a spiky ball when frightened
Narwhal"Unicorn of the sea," with a spiral tusk
MooseDeer with broad, shovel-shaped antlers
Galápagos tortoiseTortoise of the islands that inspired Darwin
CapybaraThe famously chill rodent, friends with everyone
Canada gooseGoose that honks in V formations
Giant Pacific octopusOctopus that can open jars and escape tanks
American cockroachScuttling pest that survives almost anything

Most looked-up1 pt per 100,000 Wikipedia views in 2025
Top speed1 pt per 5 mph
Night owl10 pts if mostly active at nightYes or no
Venomous10 pts if venomousYes or no
Long life1 pt per 7 years
Tiny1 pt per halving under 1 lb
Heavyweight1 pt per doubling over 1 lb
Known worldwide1 pt per 15 Wikipedia languages

Figures come from AnAge, Wikipedia and the IUCN Red List, each checked against a source. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. No clock: take your time. One scored game per device per day; replays are practice.

How to play

Eight animals and eight categories a day, the same for everyone. A new board rolls in at midnight Pacific.
You see the whole lineup from the start, and place the animals in its order. Tap an open category and the animal up now is in, final: it scores 0 to 10 there, and the next one's straight up. Each category takes one animal, so plan for the ones still to come.
The whole heat is one wave, and every animal you place is a trick on it. The better the fit, the bigger the trick: a 0 is a big bobble, a 10 big air. Each trick's popup shows its score and the animal's real figure.
After the eighth, five judges score your wave out of 10: the average of your eight tricks. The high and the low cards are dropped. Your score is set against the best heat the day's animals allow, and every day has a near-perfect one: 9.7 or better.
Your first game on a device counts. Replays are practice.

The trick each score earns
Score	Trick
10.0	Backflip or Air 360
8.5-9.9	Indy grab
6.5-8.4	Frontside air
4.5-6.4	Lip snap
2.5-4.4	Carve
0.1-2.4	Bogged turn
0.0	Big bobble

The categories, and how each one scores. Weight and big families count doublings: each one adds the points on the tile, so 2 lb to 4 lb counts as much as 500 lb to 1,000 lb. A yes/no category an animal can’t fairly answer, it sits out.

Top speed: The fastest it's been clocked, running, flying, swimming or diving: 1 point for every 5 mph, so 25 mph scores 5, and 50 mph or more 10.
Heavyweight: A typical adult's weight: 1 point for every doubling over 1 lb, so 8 lb scores 3, 64 lb 6, 512 lb 9, and about 1,000 lb or more 10. Under 1 lb scores 0.
Tiny: The smaller the better: 1 point for every halving under 1 lb, so 2 oz scores 3, a quarter ounce 6, and half a gram or less 10. A pound or more scores 0.
Long life: The oldest one on record, in the wild or in care: 1 point for every 7 years, so 35 years scores 5, and 70 or more 10.
Long wait: How long its young take to be born, or its eggs to hatch: 1 point for every 25 days, so 125 days scores 5, and 250 days or more 10.
Big family: Babies or eggs at a time, in one litter, clutch or spawning: 1 point for every doubling over 1, so 8 scores 3, 64 scores 6, and 1,024 or more 10. One at a time scores 0.
Late bloomer: How old a female is when she can first have young: 1 point for every year, so 5 years scores 5, and 10 years or more 10.
Most looked-up: How often people read its English Wikipedia article in 2025: 1 point for every 100,000 views, so 500,000 scores 5, and a million or more 10.
Known worldwide: How many languages Wikipedia has an article on it in: 1 point for every 15, so 75 languages scores 5, and 150 or more 10.
Takes flight: It flies under its own power: 10 points. Gliders, like the sugar glider and flying fish, don't count.
Venomous: It delivers venom by bite, sting, spine or spur: 10 points. Poisonous to touch or eat, like a poison frog or a pufferfish, isn't venomous.
Night owl: It's mostly active at night: 10 points. Animals active at dusk and dawn, or around the clock, sit this one out.
Endangered: The IUCN Red List rates it Endangered or Critically Endangered: 10 points. Vulnerable doesn't count.
Breath holder: An air-breather that can hold its breath 10 minutes or more: 10 points. Fish and other water-breathers score 0; amphibians sit this one out.
Wild in Africa: Africa is part of its native range: 10 points. Sea animals, and domesticated ones with no wild range, score 0.
Wild in Asia: Asia is part of its native range: 10 points. Sea animals, and domesticated ones with no wild range, score 0.
Wild in Europe: Europe is part of its native range: 10 points. Sea animals, and domesticated ones with no wild range, score 0.
Down Under: Its native range takes in Australia, New Zealand or New Guinea: 10 points. Sea animals, and domesticated ones with no wild range, score 0.
Wild in North America: North or Central America is part of its native range: 10 points. Sea animals, and domesticated ones with no wild range, score 0.
Wild in South America: South America is part of its native range: 10 points. Sea animals, and domesticated ones with no wild range, score 0.
Stripes or spots: Stripes or spots are its signature look, as on a tiger or a ladybug: 10 points.

Ride the curve. When you finish, you'll see how your heat stacks up against everyone who played today.

Calm motion

Rides play without flips, spins, or tumbling, waves rise in place instead of rolling in, and the sea stays still.

No sign-up. We store only an anonymous, hashed device ID with your scores. Figures come from AnAge, Wikipedia and the IUCN Red List, each checked against a source. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Each photo’s author and license are under it. More in About.