The Somali thick-knee is a brightly colored bird about 20 centimeters long. It lives in dry areas of East Africa and catches insects right in the air.
The Somali sandgrouse is distinguished from other sandgrouse by its more modest size and adaptation to very dry places. It is important for nature because it regulates the population of pest insects.
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
Taxons
Hot and almost no precipitation
carnivore
if born as {name}
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
perch
Wings count
beetles
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Close
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
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.
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
beak
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
burrow
24 to 38 grams, 10 – 25 centimeters
Beak size
Potential Habitat
About health
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
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
Repro interval
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
aerial
live flies, horseflies, dipterans
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
rains are very rare, almost a desert
No results found
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
summer very hot, dry, lots of grass
all life stages
Female ♀
Down feathers color
Upcoming birthdays
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.
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Beak count
birth year
Maturity
steppe
live dragonflies and damselflies
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Wanderers
Feeding occurs in open air space above ground or water.
How similar?
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
hawking
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
What if eaten?
Very dry
bees and wasps
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
live beetles — various species
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
flies
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
young after fast growth
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
Plumage color
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
world of Afrotropics
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
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
This is me
Steppe
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Gamers
flight
Pets
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
dragonflies
My age?
wk
My size?
live bees, wasps, hornets
terrestrial
Hot steppe
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
Wingspan
Captures prey or food items while in active flight.
turns
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Rascals
Where do they take shelter?
terrestrial grassland and steppe
terrestrial herbaceous
celebrated their {n} birthday
insect
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Litter size
Daddies
Tropical savanna
Lifespan maximum
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?
very hot and almost no precipitation
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Capturing or collecting food while airborne.
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Tomato
Where are they found?
embryo
Hard, projecting mouthpart used to probe, pluck, or crack food.
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap