The spiny stargazer is a bottom-dwelling fish with rough skin covered in small spines. It lives in freshwater bodies in western North America and spends almost all its time on the bottom of rivers and lakes.
The spiny stargazer differs from other stargazers with sharp spines all over its body and a large head. It plays an important role in the food chains of freshwater bodies as a predator of small animals and prey for larger fish.
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
birth time
ambush
bottom
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
g
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
Dorsal fins color
days
worms
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
crustaceans
suction
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.
small planktonic crustaceans — copepods, krill
adult
Maturity
fish of small size
About health
marine coastal
Pectoral fins count
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
Eyes count
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Dorsal fins count
Prickles size
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
small fish
Upcoming birthdays
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
insect larvae and caterpillars
Age (from birth to death)
Foraging occurs on the floor of aquatic or terrestrial habitats.
Wanderers
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Egg membrane size
Draws prey or water into the mouth by creating negative pressure.
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
zones of mixing fresh and sea water — river deltas, estuaries
Lifespan average
young after fast growth
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
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
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
where the river flows into the sea, slightly salty water, lots of fish and birds
Pets
all rivers and lakes
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
Nearctic realm
Indomalayan realm
Lots of rain and cool summer
{name} jubilee
Eyes size
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
mouth
turns
Rascals
Litter size
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
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
Pectoral fins size
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
38 to 65 grams, 15 – 40 centimeters
all rivers and lakes
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
estuary and delta
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
Taxons
carnivore
Yolk sac color
if born as {name}
age
Predator remains still and concealed before launching a sudden attack.
birth date
Head size
swimming
no permanent shelter
Close
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
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
suction
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
aquatic
{name} birthday
live annelid worms
Nearctic realm
No results found
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
Eyes color
Yolk sac size
On the map
lunge
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
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
Prickles color
sq mm
yr
How similar?
Dorsal fins size
Male ♂
until the celebration
lake bottom
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?
Neither
Mouthpart modified to create suction for ingesting food or anchoring.
What do they eat?
insect larvae
Where do they live?
Marine world
early young
River estuary into the sea
Freshwater
Egg membrane color
Duration
Pectoral fins color
saline marine habitat
This is me
Gamers
How are they built?
marine
shallow near the shore, water rises and falls, crabs live here
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
coastal marine zone — shelf, neritic zone
My age?
wk
My size?
Asexual
swap
Southeast Asia and islands, always hot and humid
active predation
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?
Head color
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Littoral Zone
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
stream bottom
embryo
Orange
Length
kg
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap