Polyipnus asteroides is a small deep-sea fish with light-emitting organs on its body. It inhabits the ocean at great depths and uses light for camouflage and hunting.
Polyipnus asteroides differs from related species by the special arrangement of its luminous organs. The fish is important for the deep-sea food chain: it consumes small plankton and itself serves as food for larger animals.
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
Photophores color
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
Pelagic Ocean
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
Palearctic realm
swimming
no permanent shelter
planktivory, eat small creatures that float in the water and cannot swim against the current
Close
water column
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
Marine world
marine pelagic
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?
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
fish of small size
3 to 8 grams, 0.5 – 5 centimeters
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
About health
suction
Pectoral fins count
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
d
plankton
In husbandry
Feeds while suspended in open water between surface and bottom.
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.
Repro interval
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Body size
aquatic
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
No results found
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
Eyes color
small fish
On the map
lunge
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
birth year
Maturity
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Age (larva)
Attracts prey using bait, mimicry, or luminescent lure.
How similar?
far from shore, deep water, large whales and sharks live here
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?
luring
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
water is almost always cold, there may be ice in winter, not hot in summer
open water
Where do they live?
young after fast growth
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
Marine world
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
early young
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
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
filter feeding
Cold sea
saline marine habitat
This is me
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
marine
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
{name} jubilee
Photophores count
Eyes size
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
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?
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
°C
Not specified
Berry
Hermaphrodite ⚥
pelagic zone — open water far from shore and seabed
Where are they found?
all seas and oceans
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
Length
kg
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap