Can someone please help me solve this riddle?

[foreverold]

Was put on parents group chat and driving me mad. Person posting says it's so easy that even 'toddlers could work it out if they read it properly'.

Riddle - there are three tarantulas in a round tank and five tarantulas in a rectangle tank. How many legs are in the rectangle tank?

I did the obvious 5x8 = 40 but obviously that's not it...anyone any idea?

0
A rectangle (not rectangular) tank would be flat so they’d walk away.

Sorry. Should have RTFT 🤦‍♀️

64 would only work as an answer if there were something to indicate the round tank was inside the rectangular one, but there isn't.

Just read 00100001's explanation. It makes more sense now.

@Hont1986 thanks I see it now. Still a crap riddle!

Yes. It's a shit riddle, agreed!

It would work better if they were different types of spider. Then, the alternative interpretation of the sentence structure sounds more natural.

E.g.

Original:
There are three black widows in a round tank and five tarantulas in a rectangle tank.

Punctuated version:
There are three black widows (in a round tank), and five tarantulas, in a rectangle tank.

I think we may have just all appointed ourselves the Riddle Police

@Shnuffles

Riddles like this one are the reason I don't like riddles.

They’re so irritating. They’re not smart, just nonsense.

It's clearly 64
3x8 = 24
5x8 = 40

Unless I am completely missing something

Nothing helpful to add except I HATE these fucking riddles. They are all over facebook and most of them are utter bullshit.
The ones involving maths are usually bollocks as they seem to completely ignore BODMAS and expect you to calculate from left to right (I'm thinking of the sort of things with pictures and equations and you are supposed to work out the answer to another equation).

Then there are riddles like this tarantula one where the punctuation needs to be really accurate to come up with the right answer. Most of the time there was no punctuation anyway and the rest of the time people reposting the riddle have managed to lose it.

There was one fucking annoying one about murdering people in a garden. No one ever seems to be able to get that one right.

Fucking hell. This has given me the rage and I need to be calm so I can sleep!
Fucking wanking riddles.

What @Etinox said. None. A rectangle tank is 2 dimensional and you can’t put something inside something 2 dimensional.

@Puzzledtenant

I'd say 8, at best, as tarantulas are cannibals, but that's a bit grim of an answer when the question is referring to toddlers working it out!

I was thinking that - but I liked the "they ID as snakes" post.

@bearlyactive Boswell was solved!! Just a few weeks ago...

I was hoping for a Boswell answer too.
I think about that way more often than I should.

I would like to add that assuming the tarantulas are in a 3D tank containing the round tank, the actual answer would be either 16 or lots. Tarantulas really struggle to identify their own species and are not social. There would be one dominant female left in each tank or who may or may not have had sex before they are the rest.

Tell your friend he’s welcome. Stupid riddle.

[quote Ninkanink]@bearlyactive Boswell was solved!! Just a few weeks ago...[/quote]
What?? WHERE???

We need the Boswell answer!

I can’t remember...but I can check back and find the thread.

Come back tomorrow and I’ll link it for you.

[quote Ninkanink]@bearlyactive Boswell was solved!! Just a few weeks ago...[/quote]
Whaaaat?!

@Ninkanink where was Boswell solved please? Or you at it?

Yup. I swear my whole sense of the world shifted a little...

As I said, I’ll find it and link it for you tomorrow.

This puzzle answer is ridiculous right? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4156434-This-puzzle-answer-is-ridiculous-right

I hope this links ok. This is where Boswell was solved.

You're being played. Boswell is never solved.

Even if the round tank was in a rectangular tank (rectangle tank makes no sense), 64 would still be won't as the five spiders in the rectangular tank would include the three in the round.