The striped polypterus is an ancient freshwater fish from Central Africa. It has lungs, so it can breathe air and live without water for some time.
The striped polypterus differs from other fish in its ancient body structure, lungs, and special scales. It helps maintain balance in African rivers by eating sick and small animals.
Ambush hunter that uses a sensitive lateral line and powerful jaws.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Ambush hunter that uses a sensitive lateral line and powerful jaws.
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Offspring
Tropical moist forest
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
ambush
Taxons
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
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Predator remains still and concealed before launching a sudden attack.
Human
birth date
Lungs temp
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
no permanent shelter
Close
very hot and very humid all year round, rain almost every day
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
worms
The basics
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
crustaceans
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?
small planktonic crustaceans — copepods, krill
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
adult
Maturity
fish of small size
primary food sources
teeth
insects
Potential Habitat
About health
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
Body size
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
live annelid worms
Gremllins
mo
No results found
Trophic type
Filters
small fish
On the map
lunge
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
always hot and humid, huge trees and vines
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
birth year
Maturity
Age (from birth to death)
Barred pattern color
sq mm
yr
External gills size
Wanderers
How similar?
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
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
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Rapidly swallows prey or food items whole without chewing.
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
Regeneration
early young
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
world of Afrotropics
end of lifespan
Freshwater
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.
Freshwater
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
live insects
gulping
Always hot and wet
This is me
freshwater
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Gamers
65 to 130 grams, 25 – 60 centimeters
Pets
How are they built?
all rivers and lakes
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
whole swallow
lateral line
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
mouth
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?
Sensory system detecting water movements to locate prey.
olfaction
celebrated their {n} birthday
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Litter size
Dorsal finlets count
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?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
river
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Where are they found?
Pectoral fins size
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
swamp
embryo
Carrot
all rivers and lakes
Length
kg
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap