The painted unicorn, or Aluterus scriptus, is a marine fish with a long compressed body and a pattern of blue lines and spots on a brown background. It can quickly change its coloration for camouflage among reefs.
The painted unicorn differs from other fish in the family by its ability to change color and unusual 'painted' pattern on the body. It is important for reefs because it eats sponges and algae, helping to maintain the balance of underwater life.
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
Dorsal spine count
scraping
birth time
Pelagic Ocean
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
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
days
South and Central America, hot and humid, huge forests
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.
mollusks
Rasping or abrading food surfaces with teeth or mouthparts.
adult
Maturity
South and Central America, hot and humid, huge forests
Coconut
About health
marine coastal
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
results
Oceanian realm
Southeast Asia and islands, always hot and humid
Colors
Caudal fin color
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
Captures or processes food by biting or nipping with the mouth.
Upcoming birthdays
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Oceanian realm
Age (from birth to death)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
algae
far from shore, deep water, large whales and sharks live here
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
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
live snails, mussels, oysters
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
from 0.5 to 0.8 kilograms, 0.5 – 1 meter
Pets
Indomalayan realm
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
Indomalayan realm
biting
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
mouth
turns
Rascals
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
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?
all seas and oceans
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
First dorsal fin count
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
Taxons
if born as {name}
omnivore
age
water is almost always warm, even in winter you can swim, very hot in summer
birth date
Palearctic realm
no permanent shelter
Egg membrane count
Close
coral reef
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
Marine world
The basics
Neotropical realm
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
Neotropical realm
teeth
Potential Habitat
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
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Body size
Warm sea
{name} birthday
No results found
live sponges — marine and freshwater
On the map
small crustaceans
all life stages
Female ♀
Body 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
sq mm
yr
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
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
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Marine world
mouth
early young
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
world of Afrotropics
Egg membrane color
Duration
many islands in the Pacific Ocean, warm seas and corals
saline marine habitat
This is me
Gamers
aquatic plants and algae
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?
many islands in the Pacific Ocean, warm seas and corals
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Littoral Zone
Daddies
small crabs, amphipods and other crustaceans
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
embryo
sponges
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap