The pygmy spiny dogfish is one of the smallest sharks in the world. Its length rarely exceeds 20 centimeters, and its large eyes help it hunt in the complete darkness of the deep ocean.
The pygmy spiny dogfish differs from other sharks by its tiny size, huge eyes, and a spine on its back. It plays an important role in the deep ocean food chain, eating small animals and serving as prey for larger fish.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Photophores color
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Offspring
Worker
Elders
Dorsal spine count
Bro
birth time
Pelagic Ocean
deep water
Taxons
carnivore
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
bioluminescence
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Yolk sac count
Human
birth date
no permanent shelter
Close
was
days
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
Marine world
marine pelagic
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
adult
Maturity
Dorsal spine color
fish of small size
primary food sources
live marine and freshwater shrimps
24 to 38 grams, 10 – 25 centimeters
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
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Eyes count
Colors
vision
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
No results found
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
Eyes color
small fish
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
Photophores size
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 (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Age (larva)
Body count
How similar?
far from shore, deep water, large whales and sharks live here
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
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
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
squids
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
water is almost always cold, there may be ice in winter, not hot in summer
Body temp
Where do they live?
young after fast growth
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
Marine world
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
early young
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
world of Afrotropics
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.
Cold sea
saline marine habitat
This is me
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Gamers
Pets
How are they built?
marine
Dorsal spine size
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
{name} jubilee
Photophores count
Eyes size
Asexual
swap
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
active predation
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
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
live squids
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
°C
Not specified
Hermaphrodite ⚥
pelagic zone — open water far from shore and seabed
shrimp
Tomato
Where are they found?
all seas and oceans
Primarily detects and locates food using eyesight.
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap