Garra rufa is a small freshwater fish up to 14 centimeters long. It is called the doctor fish because it feeds on dead skin and is used in spa procedures to clean feet and hands.
Garra rufa differs from related species by a sucker on the lower lip, which helps it hold firmly in fast currents and scrape food. It is important for nature because it controls algae growth in rivers and serves as food for larger fish.
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
scraping
birth time
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
detritus, eat dead remains of plants, animals and all kinds of organic debris on the bottom
days
Warm summer
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
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.
Rasping or abrading food surfaces with teeth or mouthparts.
Captures food by straining water or substrate through specialized structures.
adult
Maturity
organic debris
invertebrates
Fins count
About health
Searches for food on or among rocks and stony surfaces.
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
carrion
Repro interval
results
summer warm, winter not very cold
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
scavenging, eat already dead animals
Gremllins
mo
detritivore
Trophic type
all living animals without backbone
Filters
Palearctic realm
Mediterranean forest
Upcoming birthdays
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
high in the mountains, cold, lots of grass and shrubs
Height
16 to 24 grams, 7 – 12 centimeters
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
rock
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
algae
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Draws prey or water into the mouth by creating negative pressure.
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Lifespan average
leaves
Regeneration
Montane grasslands
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
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
Pets
all rivers and lakes
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
mouth
turns
Rascals
Litter size
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.
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
all rivers and lakes
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
Taxons
rivers and streams
if born as {name}
age
birth date
no permanent shelter
Palearctic realm
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
Mouth color
Mouth size
primary food sources
Potential Habitat
suction
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
young shoots and leaves of plants
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Gestation
Body size
{name} birthday
No results found
On the map
Pleasant summer
all life stages
Female ♀
dry and hot summer, warm and rainy winter
Body color
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
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
How similar?
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
Mouthpart modified to create suction for ingesting food or anchoring.
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
from birth to death
early young
Freshwater
Temperate mixed forest
Duration
filter feeding
Fins color
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
freshwater
Gamers
aquatic plants and algae
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
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?
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
flowing fresh waters — rivers, streams, mountain torrents
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
foraging
whole life
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Mandarin
embryo
summer warm, many oaks, birches, maples
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap