The water mongoose is a medium-sized predatory mammal from Africa. It lives near rivers, lakes, and swamps, swims well, and dives for prey.
The water mongoose differs from other mongooses by the habit of spending a lot of time in water and the ability to swim well. It is important for nature because it controls the population of aquatic animals in African swamps and rivers.
meadows, prairies, forb glades on land
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Worker
Tail size
birth time
Submerges underwater to reach prey or food at depth.
breeding
Hot and almost no precipitation
live adult frogs and toads
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
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Claws color
days
Warm summer
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.
adult
Maturity
crabs
Melon
insects
About health
milk
anything
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
summer warm, winter not very cold
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
diving
mo
hot, rains in summer, little precipitation in winter
live fish
rains are very rare, almost a desert
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
Trophic type
Filters
summer very hot, dry, lots of grass
den
Upcoming birthdays
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
in a burrow
Height
rains almost always, very humid
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Hot, little precipitation in winter
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
world of Australasia
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
in a terrestrial nest
Whiskers size
live birth
What do they look like?
Maturity
diving and capturing with paws
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
birds
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
small mammals
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
fish
end of acceleration
Share
swampy freshwater biotopes — peat bogs, marshes, river mangroves
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
nest hidden in an underground burrow
hot, uneven rains, lots of grass and trees
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Pets
Hot steppe
{name} jubilee
paw
Claws count
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Claws size
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
terrestrial grassland and steppe
terrestrial herbaceous
Tail color
drink mother's milk in childhood
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Litter size
live crabs, shrimps, lobsters
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
Where are they found?
nest hidden in an underground burrow, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
from 0.8 to 1.2 kilograms, 0.6 – 1.2 meters
Describes food handling or digging performed with the forelimbs.
Whiskers color
Summer almost without rain
Low precipitation in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
normal sexual
freshwater marsh and wetlands
Taxons
carnivore
almost no rain in summer, more precipitation in winter
if born as {name}
age
birth date
small mammals — mice, shrews, bats
rest
Fur color
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
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
lots of grass, few trees, rains are rare
Very hot summer
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
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Gestation
islands and part of Australia, many unusual animals and plants
small mammals
land
summer very hot, above +25…+30 °C
{name} birthday
grass
Always hot
No results found
branches
omnivory, they eat plants, animals, and mushrooms — almost any food
live birds
On the map
lunge
Pleasant summer
Female ♀
all life stages
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
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
caring mother
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
protection from sun
How similar?
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
What if eaten?
Very dry
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
world of Afrotropics
Duration
frogs
live insects
fish
This is me
Steppe
Always very wet
Gamers
How are they built?
frogs and toads
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Asexual
swap
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?
Warm summer and lots of rain
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
open grassy spaces — steppes, savannas, prairies
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
very hot all year round, frequent rains, but sometimes dry
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
very hot and almost no precipitation
Hermaphrodite ⚥
embryo
Length
kg
lots of rain, warm and pleasant summer
Rapid forward strike to seize prey.
Observations
◉{N} more on tap