The African shoveler is a medium-sized duck with a very wide flat bill. It lives in freshwater bodies of southern Africa and filters water in search of food.
The Cape shoveler differs from other ducks with its particularly wide bill, which acts as a sieve. It is important for nature because it eats many aquatic invertebrates and serves as prey for predatory birds and mammals.
pecking
Worker
birth time
bottom
Hot and almost no precipitation
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
shallow coastal zones of rivers and lakes
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
days
Warm summer
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
Captures food by straining water or substrate through specialized structures.
beak
adult
Maturity
crabs
plant
Coconut
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
summer warm, winter not very cold
small snails, mussels and other mollusks
shallow water
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
rains are very rare, almost a desert
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
summer very hot, dry, lots of grass
Warm winter with almost no precipitation
water filtration with beak
Upcoming birthdays
standing fresh waters — lakes, ponds, oxbow lakes
Breeding structure built or used for laying eggs and raising offspring.
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
high in the mountains, cold, lots of grass and shrubs
leaf
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Foraging occurs on the floor of aquatic or terrestrial habitats.
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
algae
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
dry, cold winter, lots of grass, few trees
Draws prey or water into the mouth by creating negative pressure.
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
Montane grasslands
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
swampy freshwater biotopes — peat bogs, marshes, river mangroves
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
from 0.5 to 0.8 kilograms, 0.5 – 1 meter
Pets
all rivers and lakes
Repeatedly strikes or probes substrate with beak to obtain food.
Hot steppe
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
turns
Rascals
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
seeds
Litter size
live crabs, shrimps, lobsters
Tropical savanna
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
small mollusks
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
all rivers and lakes
insects living in water or near water — mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies
marshes
Low precipitation in winter
Locomotion through water employed while searching for or capturing prey.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
winter dry and warm
lakes and ponds
freshwater marsh and wetlands
Taxons
rivers and streams
if born as {name}
omnivore
age
birth date
swimming
freshwater coastal and creek
Close
Egg shell color
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
surface
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
suction
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
Very hot summer
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Gestation
aquatic
summer very hot, above +25…+30 °C
{name} birthday
Food is gathered directly from leaf surfaces.
aquatic insects
No results found
On the map
Pleasant summer
all life stages
Female ♀
Cold and almost dry
Down feathers color
world of Afrotropics
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Maturity
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
Legs color
What if eaten?
Very dry
Neither
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
nest
What do they eat?
dry and cold almost all year round
Where do they live?
Marine world
Plumage color
world of Afrotropics
Freshwater
Duration
filter feeding
This is me
Steppe
freshwater
Gamers
aquatic plants and algae
How are they built?
shallow near the shore, water rises and falls, crabs live here
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
Bill size
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Warm summer and lots of rain
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Littoral Zone
Cold steppe
flowing fresh waters — rivers, streams, mountain torrents
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
very hot and almost no precipitation
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
embryo
Hard, projecting mouthpart used to probe, pluck, or crack food.
plant seeds — sunflower, grass, small wild seeds
Length
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
Bill color
Observations
◉{N} more on tap