Hypostomus spinosissimus is an armored catfish with a body covered with many sharp spines and bony plates. It lives on the bottom of South American rivers and feeds on algae.
Hypostomus spinosissimus differs from closely related species by its particularly dense covering of sharp spines. It is important for nature because it controls algae growth and cleans river bottoms.
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
scraping with suction mouth
Worker
Elders
small invertebrates
Bro
scraping
birth time
Taxons
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
g
age
Bony plates color
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
birth date
no permanent shelter
Close
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
was
days
South and Central America, hot and humid, huge forests
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}
Neotropical realm
suction
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?
Rasping or abrading food surfaces with teeth or mouthparts.
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
Captures food by straining water or substrate through specialized structures.
adult
Maturity
organic debris
primary food sources
Neotropical realm
South and Central America, hot and humid, huge forests
Potential Habitat
About health
suction
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
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
Spines size
mo
No results found
Trophic type
Filters
Eyes color
Yolk sac size
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
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
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Wanderers
How similar?
algae
Egg size
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
age as {name}
How do they breed?
Draws prey or water into the mouth by creating negative pressure.
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
Mouthpart modified to create suction for ingesting food or anchoring.
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
early young
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
Freshwater
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.
filter feeding
Freshwater
Always hot and wet
This is me
freshwater
Gamers
aquatic plants and algae
65 to 130 grams, 25 – 60 centimeters
Pets
How are they built?
all rivers and lakes
Spines count
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
mm
Theoretical lifespan
Spines color
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
{name} jubilee
Eyes size
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
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?
celebrated their {n} birthday
Sucker mouth color
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
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?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
foraging
river
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Egg color
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
Carrot
Dorsal fin size
all rivers and lakes
herbivore
Length
Sucker mouth size
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap