Maleo is a large ground-dwelling bird with black plumage and a large bony crest on its head. It lives in the tropical forests of Sulawesi and does not incubate its eggs, but buries them in hot sand or soil.
Maleo differs from most birds in that it completely relies on the heat of the surrounding environment for egg development. The chicks hatch fully independent. This bird is important for the forests of Sulawesi because it disperses plant seeds and serves as an indicator of ecosystem health.
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
Worker
Elders
small invertebrates
Bro
birth time
Describes the act of excavating soil or substrate to locate or access food.
Taxons
seeds, berries, fruits
Picking small food items from foliage, ground, or other surfaces.
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
omnivore
g
age
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
Egg shell color
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}
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
beak
surface
adult
Maturity
primary food sources
burrow
Melon
insects
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
forages for food on the soil surface and digs the ground with its beak
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
terrestrial
Southeast Asia and islands, always hot and humid
islands and part of Australia, many unusual animals and plants
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
Uses an excavated underground tunnel or chamber for refuge or nesting.
Always hot
conifer cones
No results found
lowland forest
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
Female ♀
all life stages
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
rains almost always, very humid
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
Age (from birth to death)
cones of coniferous trees with seeds
sq mm
yr
Beak color
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
How similar?
world of Australasia
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
baby / chick
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
Legs color
What if eaten?
small invertebrates without further specification
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
fruits
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Egg shell count
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
early young
Plumage color
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
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
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
live insects
Always hot and wet
gleaning
This is me
Always very wet
digging
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
Indomalayan realm
Casque color
mm
Theoretical lifespan
Indomalayan realm
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Feeding occurs primarily on land or in vegetation.
{name} jubilee
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Southeast Asia and islands, always hot and humid
coastal
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?
terrestrial forest
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
very hot all year round, frequent rains, but sometimes dry
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
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
Hard, projecting mouthpart used to probe, pluck, or crack food.
from 0.8 to 1.2 kilograms, 0.6 – 1.2 meters
Casque count
Length
kg
Casque size
Observations
◉{N} more on tap