Mastacembelus paucispinis is a freshwater fish with a long serpentine body and a small number of sharp spines on its back. It inhabits the bottom of rivers in Central Africa and leads a hidden nocturnal lifestyle.
Mastacembelus paucispinis differs from related species by a smaller number of dorsal spines. It plays an important role in controlling the population of invertebrates on the bottom of African rivers.
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
birth time
ambush
bottom
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
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.
mollusks
adult
Maturity
24 to 38 grams, 10 – 25 centimeters
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
all seas and oceans
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
insect larvae and caterpillars
Age (from birth to death)
Foraging occurs on the floor of aquatic or terrestrial habitats.
Wanderers
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
Rapidly swallows prey or food items whole without chewing.
young after fast growth
Regeneration
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
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
live snails, mussels, oysters
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
gulping
Egg count
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Pets
all rivers and lakes
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
whole swallow
lateral line
{name} jubilee
Dorsal spines count
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
mouth
turns
Rascals
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Litter size
Dorsal spines color
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?
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?
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
carnivore
rivers and streams
if born as {name}
age
Predator remains still and concealed before launching a sudden attack.
birth date
swimming
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
burrow
Potential Habitat
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
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
Body size
aquatic
{name} birthday
live annelid worms
No results found
On the map
lunge
small crustaceans
all life stages
Female ♀
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
Dorsal spines size
Snout size
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
What do they eat?
insect larvae
Where do they live?
Marine world
early young
world of Afrotropics
Freshwater
snout
Duration
Pectoral fins color
Always hot and wet
This is me
freshwater
Gamers
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
active predation
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 ⚥
Tomato
embryo
Length
kg
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap