The Boulenger's Cape tortoise is one of the smallest land tortoises. It lives in rocky areas of South Africa, has a flat shell and feeds only on plants.
The Boulenger's Cape tortoise differs from other tortoises by its very small size and flat shell, which helps it hide in rock crevices. It is important for nature because it eats plants and spreads their seeds.
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
leaves and stems of grasses and other herbaceous vegetation
Bro
birth time
Taxons
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
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Legs count
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
beak
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
plant
teeth
plants
burrow
Potential Habitat
About health
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
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
Carapace size
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
rains are very rare, almost a desert
No results found
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
Captures or processes food by biting or nipping with the mouth.
summer very hot, dry, lots of grass
all life stages
Female ♀
Cold and almost dry
grass
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
Desert and dry shrubs
steppe
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Wanderers
How similar?
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
dry, cold winter, lots of grass, few trees
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
Lifespan average
nectar
What do they eat?
dry and cold almost all year round
leaves
Where do they live?
Carapace color
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
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
very dry and cold, very little snow and rain
Share
Very hot and dry
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
This is me
Steppe
Gamers
65 to 130 grams, 25 – 60 centimeters
Pets
How are they built?
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
Hot steppe
Carapace count
sweet nectar and flower pollen
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
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?
Cold desert
Head color
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}
Cold steppe
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
grazing
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Where are they found?
embryo
Carrot
Hard, projecting mouthpart used to probe, pluck, or crack food.
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