The cave catfish Clarias cavernicola is a blind fish that lives only in the underground lakes of one cave in Namibia. It has no eyes and almost no coloration because it is always complete darkness around.
Unlike ordinary catfish, the cave catfish has lost its eyes and coloration because it lives in complete darkness. It shows how animals adapt to life underground and is an important part of the rare cave ecosystem.
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
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
bottom
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
pursuit
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
Actively chases and captures mobile prey in open space.
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
swimming
no permanent shelter
Close
water column
detritus, eat dead remains of plants, animals and all kinds of organic debris on the bottom
was
days
Barbels count
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}
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
whiskers
adult
Maturity
organic debris
primary food sources
invertebrates
24 to 38 grams, 10 – 25 centimeters
Fins count
Potential Habitat
About health
vertebrates
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
d
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.
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Eyes count
summer warm, winter not very cold
aquatic
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
No results found
Trophic type
all living animals without backbone
Filters
On the map
lunge
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 (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Foraging occurs on the floor of aquatic or terrestrial habitats.
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?
Where do they live?
Rapidly swallows prey or food items whole without chewing.
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
early young
What do they look like?
Maturity
underground
emergence (insects)
world of Afrotropics
end of lifespan
Freshwater
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
dead vertebrates
end of acceleration
Share
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
Neotenic
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
gulping
This is me
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
all rivers and lakes
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
whole swallow
lateral line
{name} jubilee
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?
Sensory system detecting water movements to locate prey.
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}
Litter size
Daddies
Tropical savanna
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?
Barbels size
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
foraging
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Tomato
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
all rivers and lakes
Length
kg
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap