<human>:  Mary sees three breeding balls with 8 snakes each and 6 additional pairs of snakes. How many snakes did she see total?
<bot>: How many snakes were in the breeding balls? ** First find how many snakes were in all the breeding balls: 3 balls * 8 snakes/ball = <<3*8=24>>24 snakes
How many snakes are in the pairs? ** Then find how many snakes are in all the pairs: 2 snakes/pair * 6 pairs = <<2*6=12>>12 snakes
How many snakes did Mary see total? ** Then add the number of snakes in both types of groups to find the total number of snakes: 24 snakes + 12 snakes = <<24+12=36>>36 snakes
#### 36