ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 53 · OCTOBER 26, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: October 26
The five Insects silhouettes for October 26, with the true sizes. If you have not played yet, this page is a spoiler — play these five first, then come back to argue with the numbers.
Day 53 ran from a seven-spot ladybird (6.6 mm) to a blue morpho (14 cm). The widest gap was round 2, Emperor Dragonfly against Harlequin Ladybird, at 9.8×; the closest call was round 3, Gatekeeper Butterfly against Blue-tailed Damselfly, only 1.4× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
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ROUND 1
Stag Beetle (male · jaws included) vs Devil's Flower Mantis (adult female)
Devil's Flower Mantis · reference · 13 cm Stag Beetle · true length · 6.5 cm 2.0× shorter than the devil's flower mantis
Stag Beetle: 65 mm length including jaws for the selected male. Selected 65 mm within the published 50–75 mm adult length range. Jaw tips to abdomen tip; legs and antennae excluded.
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ROUND 2
Emperor Dragonfly (adult · body length) vs Harlequin Ladybird (adult)
Harlequin Ladybird · reference · 8 mm Emperor Dragonfly · true length · 7.8 cm 9.8× longer than the harlequin ladybird
Emperor Dragonfly: 78 mm body length for the selected adult. Published adult body length 78 mm. Head to abdomen tip; wings and legs excluded.
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ROUND 3
Gatekeeper Butterfly (adult) vs Blue-tailed Damselfly (adult · body length)
Blue-tailed Damselfly · reference · 3.1 cm Gatekeeper Butterfly · true wingspan · 4.25 cm 1.4× wider than the blue-tailed damselfly
Gatekeeper Butterfly: 42.5 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 42.5 mm from the published 37–48 mm wingspan. This is the range midpoint, not a species-wide average. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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ROUND 4
Common Darter (adult) vs Blue Morpho (adult · open wings)
Blue Morpho · reference · 14 cm Common Darter · true length · 4.05 cm 3.5× shorter than the blue morpho
Common Darter: 40.5 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 40.5 mm from the published 38–43 mm length. This is the range midpoint, not a species-wide average. Head to abdomen tip; wings and legs excluded.
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ROUND 5
Seven-spot Ladybird (adult) vs European Hornet (large adult)
European Hornet · reference · 3.5 cm Seven-spot Ladybird · true length · 6.6 mm 5.3× shorter than the European hornet
Seven-spot Ladybird: 6.6 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 6.6 mm within the published adult range 6-8 mm. Head to elytra tip in side view; antennae and legs excluded.
Beat these tomorrow
Every round is worth up to 100 points: within 6% of the true size scores 100, half or double scores 45, five times off scores zero. The daily puzzle is the same five for everyone and refreshes at midnight in your time zone; if you want more than five, Size It Up Unlimited draws fresh pairs from the whole library for as long as you like.