The large spotted squeaker, or Synodontis alberti, is an African catfish with very large eyes and dark spots on the body. The fish lives at the bottom of rivers, can make squeaking sounds and is mainly active at night.
Synodontis alberti differs from related species especially with its large eyes and bright spotted pattern. This fish is important for nature because it processes debris on the bottom of the Congo rivers and serves as food for large predators.
Forages for food using whiskers, sucks in with mouth from the bottom surface.
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
birth time
Describes the act of excavating soil or substrate to locate or access food.
bottom
Picking small food items from foliage, ground, or other surfaces.
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
riverbed
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
very hot and very humid all year round, rain almost every day
detritus, eat dead remains of plants, animals and all kinds of organic debris on the bottom
days
worms
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.
whiskers
adult
Maturity
organic debris
plant
About health
Searches for food on or among rocks and stony surfaces.
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Trophic type
Filters
always hot and humid, huge trees and vines
Upcoming birthdays
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
leaf
insect larvae and caterpillars
Age (from birth to death)
rock
Foraging occurs on the floor of aquatic or terrestrial habitats.
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
algae
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
Forages for food using whiskers, sucks in with mouth from the bottom surface.
Pectoral spines size
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
hot, there is a dry season, trees shed their leaves
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
gleaning
digging
Pets
all rivers and lakes
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
Tropical dry broadleaf forest
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
lateral line
{name} jubilee
Eyes size
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
mouth
turns
Rascals
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Litter size
Tropical savanna
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
°C
Not specified
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Egg color
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
Dorsal fin size
38 to 65 grams, 15 – 40 centimeters
all rivers and lakes
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
Tropical moist forest
Elders
Bro
Taxons
rivers and streams
if born as {name}
Foraging takes place among trees and woody vegetation.
omnivore
age
birth date
swimming
no permanent shelter
Close
water column
was
Barbels count
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
nocturnal
The basics
climbing
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
young after transformation
surface
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
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.
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
aquatic
{name} birthday
live annelid worms
Food is gathered directly from leaf surfaces.
No results found
underground
Eyes color
Yolk sac size
On the map
small crustaceans
Female ♀
all life stages
Body color
world of Afrotropics
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.
birth year
Maturity
sq mm
yr
How similar?
Egg size
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
Moving up vertical surfaces like trunks or rocks to reach food.
What do they eat?
insect larvae
Where do they live?
early young
world of Afrotropics
Freshwater
snout
Duration
Always hot and wet
This is me
Foraging activity occurs primarily during nighttime hours.
freshwater
Gamers
aquatic plants and algae
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Sensory system detecting water movements to locate prey.
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
flowing fresh waters — rivers, streams, mountain torrents
Daddies
small crabs, amphipods and other crustaceans
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
embryo
Orange
Length
kg
arboreal
Observations
◉{N} more on tap