The Ozark cavefish is a small blind fish that lives only in underground rivers and lakes of Ozark Mountains caves in the USA. It has no eyes, its body is almost white, and it navigates using sensitive organs on its head and lateral line.
The Ozark cavefish differs from related species by complete blindness, lack of pigment, and living only in cave darkness. It is important for the cave ecosystem because it processes organics and shows how animals adapt to life without light.
Detects prey using the lateral line by water vibrations.
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
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
freshwater marsh and wetlands
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
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
swimming
no permanent shelter
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
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?
Detects prey using the lateral line by water vibrations.
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
adult
Maturity
organic debris
3 to 8 grams, 0.5 – 5 centimeters
primary food sources
invertebrates
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
carrion
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Repro interval
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Eyes count
Gestation
aquatic
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
scavenging, eat already dead animals
Gremllins
mo
Nearctic realm
No results found
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
Trophic type
all living animals without backbone
Filters
On the map
small crustaceans
all life stages
Female ♀
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
Lateral line size
birth year
Maturity
rains almost always, very humid
Age (juvenile)
insect larvae and caterpillars
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Age (embryo)
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?
insect larvae
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
Freshwater
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
Temperate mixed forest
end of acceleration
Share
swampy freshwater biotopes — peat bogs, marshes, river mangroves
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
This is me
freshwater
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Always very wet
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
all rivers and lakes
Nearctic realm
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
freshwater cave
My age?
wk
My size?
lateral line
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
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?
amphibian eggs
Sensory system detecting water movements to locate prey.
frog, newt, and salamander spawn and eggs
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Litter size
Daddies
small crabs, amphipods and other crustaceans
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
foraging
°C
Not specified
Berry
whole life
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
North America and Greenland, from tundra to forests
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
underground freshwater bodies — karst caves with water
all rivers and lakes
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap