The Estuary pipefish is a small fish up to 13 centimeters long from the pipefish family. It lives in river mouths and brackish waters of South Africa, and males carry the offspring in a special pouch on the belly.
Unlike its close marine relatives, this needle-like fish tolerates fresh and brackish water well. It is important for nature as a consumer of small crustaceans and as prey for larger animals in estuaries.
estuary and delta
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
Bro
birth time
Brood pouch size
mysids
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
Human
birth date
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
no permanent shelter
Close
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
Warm summer
The basics
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
suction
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
Captures food by straining water or substrate through specialized structures.
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
About health
suction
marine coastal
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
summer warm, winter not very cold
Body size
islands and part of Australia, many unusual animals and plants
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
No results found
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
Upcoming birthdays
world of Afrotropics
Brood pouch color
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)
sq mm
yr
Snout size
Wanderers
How similar?
copepods
world of Australasia
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
What if eaten?
Neither
Mouthpart modified to create suction for ingesting food or anchoring.
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
zoo-plankton
zones of mixing fresh and sea water — river deltas, estuaries
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Marine world
cyclops and other small copepod crustaceans
early young
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
snout
Share
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
filter feeding
saline marine habitat
This is me
Gamers
Mysids — small planktonic crustaceans
Pets
How are they built?
marine
shallow near the shore, water rises and falls, crabs live here
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
coastal marine zone — shelf, neritic zone
My age?
wk
My size?
estuary
{name} jubilee
Dorsal fin color
Asexual
swap
cm
zooplankton feeding, animal plankton — small crustaceans and larvae
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
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?
Warm summer and lots of rain
celebrated their {n} birthday
Dorsal fin count
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Littoral Zone
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
river
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Grape
Where are they found?
8 to 11 grams, 1.5 – 8 centimeters
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
Dorsal fin size
Length
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
Observations
◉{N} more on tap