The European lancelet is a small marine animal up to 8 centimeters long. It has an elongated body and belongs to the chordates, but lacks a backbone and skull.
The lancelet is important for science because it shows the simple structure of ancient chordate animals. It helps understand the origin of vertebrates. Also, lancelets purify water and serve as food for fish.
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
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
normal sexual
Taxons
Temperate sea
if born as {name}
inhabit and develop in salty sea water
water cool or warm, cold in winter, swimmable in summer
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
Oral hood count
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
Palearctic realm
swimming
planktivory, eat small creatures that float in the water and cannot swim against the current
rest
filter feeder
Close
detritus, eat dead remains of plants, animals and all kinds of organic debris on the bottom
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
Marine world
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?
spawning ground - place of egg-laying in the sea; may be protected, provide shelter, spawning pit or other structure
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
Captures food by straining water or substrate through specialized structures.
bacteria
adult
Maturity
organic debris
3 to 8 grams, 0.5 – 5 centimeters
primary food sources
detritus
burrow
Temperate sea
Potential Habitat
About health
suction
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
d
plankton
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.
subterranean biotope — in soil, sediments, substrate
Repro interval
results
Mass
sea
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Body size
aquatic
Colors
water is cool or warm, cold in winter, you can swim in summer
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
No results found
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
Upcoming birthdays
protection
water filtration
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.
microalgae
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
birth year
Maturity
Gill slits size
Age (from birth to death)
Notochord count
sq mm
yr
phytoplanktophagy, plant plankton — microscopic algae
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Body count
How similar?
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
age as {name}
How do they breed?
Draws prey or water into the mouth by creating negative pressure.
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
Notochord size
What if eaten?
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
Temperate Sea
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Marine world
Regeneration
phyto-plankton
early young
What do they look like?
Maturity
bacteriophagy, specifically catch and eat tiny bacteria and other microbes
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
soft or loose substrate — sand, silt, peat
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
filter feeding
This is me
water is cool or warm, cold in winter, comfortable to swim in summer
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
soil and substrate
My age?
wk
My size?
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
Myomeres count
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
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?
celebrated their {n} birthday
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?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Berry
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Where are they found?
all seas and oceans
embryo
Length
kg
soft substrate
egg-laying in seawater
Gill slits count
Observations
◉{N} more on tap