The African spiny-tailed lizard is a large lizard with a strong body and a tail covered with sharp spines. It lives in the hot deserts of North Africa and is well adapted to the dry climate.
The African spiny-tailed lizard differs from other lizards with its very strong tail with sharp spines, which it uses to defend itself and close its burrow. It is important for nature because it spreads plant seeds and serves as food for desert predators.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Tail size
Bro
birth time
Taxons
Hot and almost no precipitation
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
Human
birth date
Palearctic realm
arid terrestrial biotopes with sparse vegetation
Close
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
herbivory, feed only on plant food
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
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
plant
teeth
Coconut
plants
burrow
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
young shoots and leaves of plants
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Body size
Colors
Sex
very hot and almost no rain
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
rains are very rare, almost a desert
conifer cones
No results found
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
Captures or processes food by biting or nipping with the mouth.
Tail count
all life stages
Female ♀
dry and hot summer, warm and rainy winter
Palearctic realm
Mediterranean forest
Body color
Upcoming birthdays
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
lots of grass, few trees, rains occur
Maturity
Desert and dry shrubs
Very hot and almost dry
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
cones of coniferous trees with seeds
sandy
sq mm
yr
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
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
Legs color
What if eaten?
Very dry
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
Lifespan average
nectar
What do they eat?
leaves
Body temp
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
early young
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
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
Very hot and dry
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
This is me
rocky
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
from 0.5 to 0.8 kilograms, 0.5 – 1 meter
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
Temperate steppe
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
biting
wk
My size?
very hot during the day, cold at night, almost no rain
terrestrial
sweet nectar and flower pollen
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
desert and semi-desert
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
Tail color
celebrated their {n} birthday
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Litter size
Daddies
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
foraging
grazing
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
embryo
herbivore
Length
kg
very hot and dry, rare rains, cacti live
Feeds by cropping or nibbling low-growing vegetation or algae.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap