The Namaqua dwarf viper is one of the smallest venomous snakes on Earth. It lives in sandy deserts of southern Africa and hunts small animals.
The Namaqua dwarf viper differs from other vipers with its very small size and life among the sands. It helps maintain balance in desert nature by hunting small animals.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
small vertebrates without specifying the group
ambush
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
Forages within or on the surface of soil or substrate.
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
Fangs color
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Predator remains still and concealed before launching a sudden attack.
Human
birth date
Head size
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
small mammals — mice, shrews, bats
no permanent shelter
arid terrestrial biotopes with sparse vegetation
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}
Venomous
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
teeth
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
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Body size
small mammals
Colors
Sex
very hot and almost no rain
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
soil
rains are very rare, almost a desert
No results found
Trophic type
Filters
Eyes color
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Cold and almost dry
Body color
Upcoming birthdays
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.
Fangs size
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
birth year
Maturity
Desert and dry shrubs
venom
Very hot and almost dry
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Wanderers
How similar?
Fangs count
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?
Very dry
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
dry and cold almost all year round
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
Hard dental structures used to bite, tear, or scrape food.
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
world of Afrotropics
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
Produces toxins capable of causing harm when delivered.
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
small vertebrates
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
very dry and cold, very little snow and rain
Share
Very hot and dry
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
This is me
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
live lizards
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
terrestrial shrubland
wk
My size?
very hot during the day, cold at night, almost no rain
terrestrial
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
Eyes size
Asexual
swap
terrestrial shrub habitats — maquis, chaparral, bush
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
lizards
desert and semi-desert
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?
Cold desert
Head color
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
Lifespan maximum
ambush hunting with venom
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
body
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
arid
Tomato
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
Length
kg
very hot and dry, rare rains, cacti live
Observations
◉{N} more on tap