Madurai Shieldtail is a small snake up to 40 centimeters long. It lives in the soil of the mountains of South India, has a dark brown or violet-brown coloration and a special shield at the end of the tail.
This snake differs from related species with its special flat scale on the tail and violet-brown body color. It is important for nature because it loosens the soil and regulates the population of worms in forest ecosystems of South India.
Low precipitation in winter
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
Tropical moist forest
Worker
Elders
small invertebrates
Bro
birth time
Describes the act of excavating soil or substrate to locate or access food.
Tail shield color
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
Tail shield count
g
age
Tail shield size
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
Head size
Close
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?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
burrow
24 to 38 grams, 10 – 25 centimeters
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
Repro interval
results
earthworms
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Eyes count
Southeast Asia and islands, always hot and humid
Body size
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
hot, rains in summer, little precipitation in winter
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
Always hot
No results found
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
Trophic type
Filters
Eyes color
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
always hot and humid, huge trees and vines
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
rains almost always, very humid
Age (juvenile)
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Hot, little precipitation in winter
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Age (larva)
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?
small invertebrates without further specification
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
digging in soil and swallowing prey
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Rapidly swallows prey or food items whole without chewing.
young after fast growth
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
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.
gulping
This is me
Always very wet
digging
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
Indomalayan realm
mm
Indomalayan realm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
hills
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
whole swallow
{name} jubilee
Eyes size
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Southeast Asia and islands, always hot and humid
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
Head color
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
very hot all year round, frequent rains, but sometimes dry
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?
earthworms and soil oligochaetes
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Tomato
Where are they found?
embryo
Length
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
Observations
◉{N} more on tap