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Average life expectancy of different animal species. Which animals have the longest life expectancy? How long do dogs and cats live?

The lifespan of animals largely depends on the conditions of keeping and feeding the animals. Typically, domestic animals have a longer lifespan than stray animals of the same species. Many animals in zoos live longer than their “free” relatives, thanks to the fact that specialists closely monitor their nutrition and the conditions of their detention. However, it also happens that animals in captivity live less than in nature. This happens with exotic animals, whose owners are often not aware of the rules for caring for them.
The longest living vertebrates turtles. Most of the information suggesting that their lifespan is slightly more than 50 years refers to individuals kept in captivity. Some species certainly live much longer. Age Carolina box turtle (Terrapene carolina), found in Rhode Island, was almost certainly 130 years old. The maximum lifespan is considered to be about 150 years, but it is quite possible that the real life expectancy of individual individuals is much longer.

They reach no less respectable age crocodiles, which, according to some sources, live up to 300 years of age. In some areas of Africa, they talk about individual crocodiles that have survived several generations of people. Since the growth of crocodiles, although very slow, continues until old age, the size of old crocodiles can be very large.
In the past, much has been said about the exceptionally long life expectancy whales and elephants, supposedly reaching 400 years or more, but this turned out to be incorrect, and currently the age limit for whales is set at 50, and for elephants at about 70 years. There have been cases of elephants living up to 100-120 years in captivity, but this appears to be rare.
Fish are distinguished by significant durability. Popular science books about animals and zoology textbooks indicate that in the Moscow region in 1794, while cleaning the Tsaritsyn ponds, a pike was caught with a gold ring threaded through the gill cover, on which was engraved: “Planted by Tsar Boris Fedorovich.” Since the reign of Boris Godunov took place in 1598-1605, it follows that pike lived in the pond for about 200 years.
There is also a story about a pike caught in Germany in 1497 with a ring on which the date of its landing was engraved: 1230. So this pike lived more than 267 years. However, a number modern specialists doubts the reliability of these facts, still believing that pikes can live up to 70-80 years. The data presented in the literature on the hundred-year (or more) life expectancy of carp and some other fish also need to be verified.
The literature describes cases of life in captivity catfish up to 60 years, eel up to 55 years, goldfish up to 30 years. Based on a method developed at the beginning of the twentieth century for determining the age of fish by bones and annual rings on scales, it has been indisputably established that beluga can reach more than 100 years of age.
Among the birds The raven is distinguished by its durability. There are cases when this bird in captivity lived up to 70 years of age, and according to some reports, even twice as long.

Birds of prey live long. For example, they live for 80 years or more in captivity golden eagles. A nocturnal predator lived in one of the zoos for 68 years - owl. They reach the age of one hundred falcons, and among non-predatory birds - parrots.
Budgerigars and lovebirds live 12-14 years (maximum life expectancy up to 20 years).
Gray parrots: 14-16 years (maximum 49).
Macaw parrots can live up to 40-45 years, the maximum documented age of the red Macaw is 64 years. Their average life expectancy is 2 times lower than this figure. The record holders are cockatoo parrots, living about 30-40 years. There is reliable information about cockatoos 60-70 years old.

For waterfowl The longevity of the swan has long been noted. In this regard, it is not without interest to cite the case of a mute swan being caught in England in 1887 with a ring dated 1711-1717. If the described case is reliable, then this is a record life expectancy for birds.

From poultry especially durable geese, living up to 40, and possibly more, years.
Chickens live up to 20 years.
Lives up to 30 years domestic pigeon.
From invertebrate animals The most durable, apparently, should be considered a huge mollusk, weighing up to 300 kilograms Indian Ocean - giant tridacna, the age limit of which is determined to be 80-100 years.
Almost the same age, according to some data, can reach European pearl mussels, mollusks significantly smaller in size - 12-14 centimeters in length.

Which animals have the shortest life expectancy?

Microscopic animal organisms live for days, days and even hours - ciliates and amoebas, which, as is known, reproduce by division, in which instead of the so-called “maternal individual” two “daughter” ones are formed. As a separate individual, ciliates and amoebas live only in the interval between two divisions. This interval, and therefore life expectancy, is measured in days and hours; for example, in the ciliate slipper and amoeba rhizome it is equal to one day. And here the record figure belongs to plant organisms - bacteria. The individual life of many of them is only 15-60 minutes.

It is assumed that frogs and newts in nature they live for about 5 years, however, cases of a grass frog living in captivity up to 18 years, a newt - up to 28 years, and a bull frog - up to 16 years are described. One lover's toad lived even longer - 36 years.
Many snakes live for decades. So, Boa constrictor anaconda, cobra, and common snake live up to 25-30 years. Some lizards lived in captivity for up to 10 years. The legless spindle lizard lived in one zoo for 33 years.
Birds Compared to other vertebrates, they live long, but the largest ones do not always live longer. For example, the largest bird is African ostrich, lives only up to 30 - 40 years. On the other side, small songbirds: canaries, starlings, goldfinches- survived in captivity for 20-25 years.
Among mammals It is interesting to note the estimated age limit for great apes - gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans: it is 50 - 60 years. Other small monkeys survived up to 20 years in captivity, and baboons survived up to 45.
Large predators such as bears and tigers live up to 40 - 50 years.
Lions live somewhat shorter: about 30 years; leopards and lynxes 15 - 20 years. Smaller predators - wolf and fox, are less durable: the age limit of the first does not exceed 15 years, and the second - 10 - 12 years.
Of the ungulates, deer and elk live about 20 years, roe deer - 15. Hippos and rhinoceroses They lived in the zoo for 40 years.
Rodents They live much shorter lives, especially small ones like mice and rats, whose age limit does not exceed 2-3 years. Muskrat lives 4 years, guinea pig- 8 years, squirrels and hares - up to 10 years. Only beaver Among rodents, it stands out for its longevity; these animals live almost to... 35 and even 50 years of age.
The most durable of pets - donkey, lives up to 50 years;
horse and camel live up to 30,
cow - up to 25,
pig - up to 20,
sheep - up to 15,
dog - up to 15,
cat - up to 10-12 years. There is information in the literature about horses that lived to be 62-67 years old, as well as about a cat that lived in the same family for 38 years. It should not be forgotten that farm animals are usually used to an age well below the age limit.
And remember, your love and care for the animal significantly extends the life of the animal.

When purchasing an animal, animal lovers have a completely reasonable question: what kind of average duration life of your beloved pet?

The average lifespan of cats is 10-15 years. By virtue of various reasons stray cats live much shorter: 3 - 5 years. There are also long-lived cats. Thus, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the spotted cat Ma from the UK and the Granpa Rex Alen cat from the USA lived the longest of all known domestic cats, 34 years each.

Unlike cats, the average lifespan of dogs varies greatly depending on the breed. The shortest life expectancy is for those dog breeds that are large, and the longest for “small” breeds.

Average life expectancy:

American Staffordshire Terrier - about 13 years old;
English bulldogs- 8-10 years;
English Spaniels- 10-14 years;
Dogo Argentino - 13-15 years;
Bassets - 9-11 years old;
Boxers - 10-12 years old;
Bolonok - 18-20 years old;
Large poodles - 15-17 years;
Dogues de Bordeaux - 7-8 years;
West Siberian Laikas- 10-14 years;
Yorkshire Terriers- 12-15 years;
Caucasian Shepherd Dogs- 9-11 years;
Pugs - 13-15 years old;
Great Danes - 7-8 years;
German Shepherds- 10-14 years;
Rottweilers - 9-12 years;
Dachshunds - 12-14 years old;
Toy terriers - 12-13 years old;
Chihuahua - 15-17 years old;
Airedale Terriers - 10-13 years old.

The life of rodents is much shorter.

Mice live on average 1-2 years, although some individuals reach 5-6 years;
Rats live 2-3 years, there are long-lived rats whose age reaches 6 or more years, however, many rats die young.
Hamsters live 1.5-3 years;
Guinea pigs live 6-8 years;
Chinchillas live 15 years;
Chipmunks live 10 years or more;
Rabbits live on average up to 12 years.

The average lifespan of horses is 20-25 years. The maximum reliably known lifespan of a horse was 62 years. For ponies this figure is lower. The oldest pony was 54 years old.

According to livestock breeders, the life expectancy of cows is about 20 years, some live up to 35, bulls live a little less: 15-20 years.

Total duration life of elephants is 60-70 years;

The lifespan of bears is 30-45 years;

The average lifespan of foxes is 6-8 years, but in captivity they can live up to 20 years or longer;

The lifespan of beavers is usually 10-12 years, although favorable conditions in zoos they live up to 20 years;

The lifespan of macaques ranges from 15 to 20 years; in captivity, however, they can live up to 30 years;

The lifespan of orangutans in the wild is about 35-40 years, and in captivity they can live up to 60 years of age;

Chimpanzees are about 50 years old.

Of the vertebrates, turtles live the longest. Most of the information suggesting that their lifespan is slightly more than 50 years refers to individuals kept in captivity. Some species certainly live much longer. The Carolina box turtle (Terrapene carolina) found in Rhode Island was almost certainly 130 years old. The maximum lifespan is considered to be about 150 years, but it is quite possible that the real life expectancy of individual individuals is much longer.

Lifespan popular among animal lovers red eared turtles- 30 (40-45) years, European swamps - the same, some of them even reached 80 years.
The total life expectancy of small lizards does not exceed 3 - 4 years, and for the largest (iguanas, monitor lizards) it reaches 20 and even 50 - 70 years, but again, this age is achieved only under decent conditions for keeping reptiles. At home, iguanas often do not live even a year.

There is a fairly popular misconception that many parrots live over a hundred years. Actually this is not true.

Typically, birds in captivity live several times longer than in the wild, but even in zoos, only some species of parrots have an average lifespan approaching 40 years.

Unlike dogs, parrots have larger bodies and a longer average life expectancy.

Budgerigars and lovebirds live 12-14 years (maximum lifespan up to 20 years)

Gray parrots: 14-16 years (maximum 49)

Macaws can live up to 40-45 years, the maximum documented age of the red macaw is 64 years. Their average life expectancy is 2 times lower than this figure.

The record holders are cockatoo parrots, living for about 30-40 years. There is reliable information about cockatoos 60-70 years old.

Crows also live long. The maximum lifespan of ravens in captivity is 75 years. While in the wild, crows live on average 10 - 15 years.

The average lifespan of passerine birds is 20 years. in owls it is 15 years, in diurnal birds of prey it is 21-24 years, in copepods it is 20 years, and in ducks it is 21 years. in herons it is 19 years, in waders it is 10 years, and in gulls it is 17 years. in ratites 15 years, in pigeons 12 years, in chickens 13 years. For domestic chickens, a maximum life expectancy of 30 years is noted (of course, this is the exception rather than the rule).

From the order of owls, eagle owls lived to 34, 53 and 68 years. For daytime raptors, the following data is known: the buffoon eagle lived 55 years, the condor 52 and more than 65 years, the golden eagle 46 years, and according to other, but not very reliable information, more than 80 years, the griffon vulture more than 38 years.

And remember, your love and care for the animal significantly extends the life of the animal.

We humans are proud of our long (and increasingly longer) lives, but amazing fact is that in terms of longevity Homo sapiens significantly inferior to some other representatives, including sharks, whales and even or. In this article you will learn about the 11 longest-living representatives of various species in order of increasing life expectancy.

The longest living insect is the queen termite (50 years)

People usually think that insects only live for a few days or weeks, but when you're especially important, all the rules break down. Regardless of the species, a termite colony is ruled by a king and queen. Once inseminated by a male, the queen slowly increases her egg production, starting with a few dozen eggs and eventually reaching a target of about 25,000 eggs per day (not all of these eggs mature, of course). Far from becoming predators' dinner, termite queens have been known to reach 50 years of age, and termite kings (who spend almost their entire lives locked in the mating chamber with their fertile queens) also have relatively long lives. As for the simple worker termites that make up the bulk of the colony, they live a maximum of one to two years. This is the fate of an ordinary slave.

The longest living fish is koi carp (50 years)

IN wildlife fish rarely live longer than a few years, and even aquarium fish gold fish requires good care to reach a decade. But many fish in the world would envy the colorful koi carp popular in Japan and other parts of the world, including the United States. Like other representatives of cyprinids, koi can withstand a wide variety of environmental conditions, although (especially given their bright colors, which people like), they are not particularly well camouflaged for protection from predators. Individual koi are thought to live for over 200 years, but the most widely accepted estimate among scientists is 50 years, which is much longer than the average koi in your aquarium.

The longest living bird is the macaw (100 years)

These colorful parrots are capable of reproducing throughout their lives, with females incubating eggs and caring for chicks while males forage for food. With a lifespan of up to 60 years in the wild and up to 100 years in captivity, macaws are almost as long as humans. Ironically, although these birds can live a very long time, many species are endangered due to people's desire to keep them as pets and deforestation. The longevity of macaws and other members of the parrot family begs the question: Since birds evolved from dinosaurs, and since we know that many dinosaurs were just as small and colorful, could some of these prehistoric reptiles have reached the age of a century?

The longest living amphibian is the European proteus (100 years)

If you were asked to name animals that regularly reach the century mark, the blind amphibian is the European proteus ( Proteus anguinus) will probably be last on your list: how can a frail, eyeless, cave-dwelling, 30cm amphibian survive for even a couple of weeks in the wild? Naturalists attribute the longevity of the European Proteus to its unusually slow metabolism. These amphibians reach sexual maturity only at 15 years, and also lay eggs no more than once every 12 years. They hardly move except when searching for food. Moreover, the damp caves of Southern Europe where the European proteus lives have virtually no predators, allowing it to live up to 100 years in the wild. By comparison, the Japanese giant salamander, which is second on the list of long-lived amphibians, rarely surpasses the 50-year mark.

The longest living primate is humans (100 years)

Humans often live to be 100 years or more, making us the record holders for the longest life expectancy among primates. There are about half a million people in the world who are about 100 years old. Tens of thousands of years ago Homo sapiens was considered elderly if he lived to be 20-30 years old, and until the 18th century the average life expectancy rarely exceeded 50 years. High infant mortality rates and susceptibility to fatal diseases were the main culprits. However, at any stage of human history, if you managed to survive in early childhood And adolescence, your chances of living to 50, 60 or even 70 have increased significantly. To what can we attribute this amazing increase in longevity? Well, in a word, civilization, especially sanitation, medicine, nutrition and cooperation (during the Ice Age, a tribe of people most likely left their elderly relatives to starve in the cold, and today we are making special efforts to take care of our octogenarian relatives.)

The longest living mammal is the bowhead whale (200 years)

Typically, larger mammals have relatively long lifespans, but even by this standard, bowhead whales are far ahead, often exceeding the 200-year mark. Recently, analysis of the bowhead whale genome has shed some light on this mystery: it turns out that these whales have unique genes that help with DNA repair and resistance to mutations (and therefore cancer). Because the bowhead whale lives in arctic and subarctic waters, its relatively slow metabolism may also have something to do with its longevity. Today, there are about 25,000 bowhead whales in the northern hemisphere, a positive population recovery trend since 1966, when major international efforts were made to curb whalers.

The longest living reptile is the giant tortoise (300 years)

The giant tortoises of the Galapagos and Seychelles islands are classic examples of "island gigantism" - the tendency of animals limited to island habitats and without natural predators to grow to unusually large sizes. large sizes. And these turtles have a lifespan that perfectly matches their weight, ranging from 200 to 500 kg. Giant tortoises are known to live longer than 200 years, and there is every reason to believe that in the wild they regularly surpass the 300-year mark. Like some of the other animals on this list, the reasons for the longevity of giant tortoises are obvious: these reptiles move very slowly, their basal metabolism is extremely low, and their life stages tend to be relatively protracted (for example, the Aldabra giant tortoise does not reach sexual maturity until at 30 years old).

The longest living shark is the Greenland shark (400 years)

If there were any justice in the world, the Greenland shark would be as famous as the great white shark: it is also large (some adults exceed 1000 kg) and much more exotic, given its northern Arctic habitat. You might think the Greenland shark is as dangerous as a jaw star, but while a hungry white shark will bite you in half, the Grenadian shark is relatively harmless to humans. However, the most remarkable fact about the Greenland shark is its lifespan of over 400 years. This longevity is explained by the cold habitat and very low metabolism. Surprisingly, these sharks reach sexual maturity after 100 years, despite the fact that most others at that age are not only sexually inactive, but are long dead!

The longest living mollusk is the Icelandic cyprina ( Arctica islandica) (500 years)

A 500-year-old clam sounds like a joke since most clams are practically motionless, so how can you tell with certainty whether it is alive or not? However, there are scientists who study such things, and they have determined that Cyprina Icelandica ( Arctica islandica) can literally live for centuries, as evidenced by one specimen that passed the 500-year mark (you can tell the age of a clam by counting the growth rings on its shell). Ironically, cyprina is also a popular food in some parts of the world, meaning that most shellfish will never be able to celebrate their 500th anniversary. Biologists have yet to figure out why Arctica islandica live so long, but one reason may be the relatively stable levels of antioxidants that prevent the damage responsible for most signs of aging in animals.

The longest-living microorganisms are endoliths (10,000 years)

Determining the lifespan of microorganisms is sufficient complex process. In a sense, all bacteria are immortal because they spread their genetic information by constantly dividing (rather than, like most higher animals, by having sex). The term "endoliths" refers to algae, or algae, that live deep underground in rock crevices, corals and animal shells. Research has shown that some individuals from endolith colonies undergo cell division only once every hundred years, and their life expectancy reaches 10,000 years. Technically, this is different from the ability of some microorganisms to revive after stagnation or deep freezing after tens of thousands of years. Endoliths are literally constantly “alive”, although not very active. They are autotrophic organisms that carry out metabolism not with the help of oxygen or sunlight, and using inorganic chemical substances, which are practically inexhaustible in their habitats.

The longest living invertebrate is Turritopsis dohrnii (potentially immortal)

There is no reliable way determine how many years the average jellyfish lives. These are so fragile that they do not lend themselves to intensive research in laboratories. However, no ranking of long-lived animals would be complete without mentioning Turritopsis dohrnii- a species of jellyfish that is capable of reverting to the polyp stage after reaching sexual maturity, making them potentially immortal. However, it is almost incredible that any individual T. dohrnii could live for millions of years. Biological "immortality" does not mean that you will not be eaten by other animals or killed by sudden changes in environmental conditions. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to keep jellyfish T. dohrnii in captivity, a feat that has so far only been accomplished by one scientist working in Japan.

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Not only schoolchildren, but also adults often ask questions about the life expectancy of certain animals. If in relation to domestic animals it is relatively simple to answer this question, then in relation to wild animals the available information on life expectancy is far from complete, sometimes insufficiently accurate and contradictory, with the exception of a few cases of long-term observation of wild animals kept in captivity. Therefore, facts about the life expectancy of animals, conscientiously and carefully collected not only by specialists, but also by amateurs, are of undoubted scientific value.

The problem of animal life expectancy is of interest both for theory and practice. Indeed, the question of how long the life expectancy of a particular wild animal (both beneficial and harmful) and a domestic animal of a particular breed is, cannot but interest scientists and practitioners.

The information presented in this essay, drawn from extensive scientific and educational literature, without claiming absolute accuracy for the reasons stated above, they still give a real idea of the diversity of life expectancy and life cycle in different animals.

In 1737, in the Indian Ocean, on Egmont Island, a specimen of one of the species of giant turtles was caught, the age of which was determined by scientists to be 100 years old. This turtle was taken to England, where for a long time lived with an amateur, and then was transferred to the London Zoo, where she continued to live in the twenties of the current century, and perhaps still lives. If zoologists’ calculations about its age at capture were correct, then the animal is now over three hundred years old and the turtle can be considered the oldest animal known to us.

Other cases of turtles living in captivity for up to a hundred years or more have been described., and not only giant ones, but also such ordinary ones as the Greek tortoise, which lives in coastal countries Mediterranean Sea, and in the USSR in places in the Caucasus and Transcaucasia. It would be interesting to obtain data on this issue for the widespread steppe and marsh turtles. It is very likely that they also have a long life expectancy.

Crocodiles reach no less respectable age, which, according to some sources, live up to 300 years of age. In some areas of Africa, they talk about individual crocodiles that have survived several generations of people. Since the growth of crocodiles, although very slow, continues until old age, the size of old crocodiles can be very large.

Previously, much was said about the exceptionally long life expectancy of whales and elephants, supposedly reaching 400 years or more, but this turned out to be incorrect, and at present The age limit for whales is set at 50, and for elephants - about 70 years. There have been cases of elephants living up to 100-120 years in captivity, but this appears to be rare.

Fish are distinguished by significant durability. Popular science books about animals and zoology textbooks indicate that in the Moscow region in 1794, while cleaning the Tsaritsyn ponds, a pike was caught with a gold ring threaded through the gill cover, on which was engraved: “Planted by Tsar Boris Fedorovich.” Since the reign of Boris Godunov took place in 1598-1605, it follows that The pike lived in the pond for about 200 years.

There is also a story about a pike caught in Germany in 1497 with a ring on which the date of its landing was engraved: 1230. So this pike lived more than 267 years. However, a number of modern experts doubt the reliability of these facts, still believing that pike can live up to 70-80 years. The data presented in the literature on the hundred-year (or more) life expectancy of carp and some other fish also need to be verified.

Cases described in the literature life in captivity for catfish up to 60 years, eel up to 55 years, goldfish up to 30 years. Based on the method developed at the beginning of this century for determining the age of fish by bones and annual rings on scales, it has been indisputably established that beluga can reach more than 100 years of age.

Regarding amphibians, quite recently a report appeared in one of the foreign scientific journals about extraordinary longevity giant salamander that lived in captivity for up to 130 years. Among birds, the raven is distinguished by its longevity. There are cases when this bird in captivity lived up to 70 years of age, and according to some reports, even twice as long.

Birds of prey live long. So, for example, according to Golden eagles live in captivity for 80 years or more. The oldest resident of the Moscow Zoo, the American condor Kuzya, has lived in the Moscow Zoo since 1892. A nocturnal predator, an eagle owl, lived in one of the zoos for 68 years. Falcons reach the age of one hundred years, and among non-predatory birds - parrots. Among the latter, even a 140-year-old specimen was described.

Life expectancy of various animals.

The longevity of the swan has long been noted for waterfowl. In this regard, it is not without interest to cite the case of a mute swan being caught in England in 1887 with a ring dated 1711-1717. If the described case is reliable, then this is a record life expectancy for birds. Of poultry, they are especially durable geese living to 40, and possibly more years. Chickens live up to 20 years. A domestic pigeon lives up to 30 years.

Of the invertebrate animals, the most durable, apparently, should be considered the huge, weighing up to 300 kilograms, mollusk of the Indian Ocean - the giant tridacna, the maximum age of which is determined at 80-100 years. According to some data, European pearl mussels, mollusks of much smaller size - 12-14 centimeters in length, can reach almost the same age.

It is interesting to note, by contrast, that many tree and shrub plants live much longer than the most durable animals. Even such small shrubs and shrubs as rose hips, blueberries, lingonberries and blueberries can live up to 300 years. Pears, cherries and cherries reach the same and even greater age. Juniper, spruce and pine live up to 400 years, linden up to 500 years or more, oak up to 1000 years. The maximum age of the American sequoia, or Mammoth tree, is determined by various authors to be 2500-4000 years with a trunk height of over 100 meters and a diameter of over 10 meters. According to some data, Mexican cypress trees live up to 10 thousand years, and Australian macrosamia from cycads reaches a record age of 12-15 thousand years.

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

What animals have shortest duration life? Usually, the insect mayflies are cited as an example, flying in masses on spring and summer evenings over rivers, lakes and ponds. Indeed, these truly ephemeral creatures live only a few days, and some mayflies live only a few hours. Apparently, one of the stanzas of the famous poet A. N. Maikov refers to the mayfly, and not to the moth: “But my life is short, it is no longer than a day.”

During this period, the named insects undergo fertilization and lay eggs in the water, after which they die, littering the surface of the water with their corpses and thereby providing rich food for fish. But the fact is that only the adult (winged) stage of this insect is brief here. The larvae that hatch from the eggs develop in the water not for several days, but for several years. Thus, all life cycle The mayfly life lasts not days at all, but years, and here we can talk about the extraordinary short duration of only one of the stages of its life.

Microscopic animal organisms - ciliates and amoebas - live for days, days and even hours, which, as is known, reproduce by division, in which instead of the so-called “maternal individual” two “daughter” ones are formed. As a separate individual, ciliates and amoebas live only in the interval between two divisions. This interval, and therefore life expectancy, is measured in days and hours; for example, in the ciliate slipper and amoeba rhizome it is equal to one day. And here the record figure belongs to plant organisms - bacteria. The individual life of many of them is only 15-60 minutes.

The transparent goby apparently has the shortest life expectancy among vertebrates.- a small fish, several centimeters long, that lives for less than a year and dies soon after the eggs are fertilized. It must be said that all representatives of the goby family are distinguished by the short duration of their life cycle.

Let us give some data on the life expectancy of other animals.

Dragonflies live 1 - 2 months as adults, and in the larval stage, which takes place in water, up to 3 years. This period is significantly extended in the North American seventeen-year cicada. Its larva lives in the ground for 17 years, and adult form only 10 - 20 days. Worker bees bred in the spring or summer live 6 weeks, and worker bees bred in the fall live 6 months. Queen bee much more durable and can live up to 5 years.

It is assumed that frogs and newts live about 5 years in the wild, but cases of a grass frog living in captivity for up to 18 years, a newt for up to 28 years, and a bullfrog for up to 16 years have been described. One lover's toad lived even longer - 36 years.

Many snakes live for decades. So, Boa constrictor anaconda, cobra, and common snake live up to 25-30 years. Some lizards lived in captivity for up to 10 years. The legless spindle lizard lived in one zoo for 33 years.

Birds live long compared to other vertebrates, but the largest ones do not always live longer. For example, the largest bird is African ostrich, lives only up to 30 - 40 years. On the other hand, small songbirds: canaries, starlings, goldfinches - survived in captivity for 20-25 years.

Among mammals, it is interesting to note the estimated age limit of the great apes - gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans: it is 50 - 60 years. Other small monkeys survived in captivity for up to 20 years, and baboons - up to 45. Large predators such as bears and tigers live up to 40 - 50 years. Lions live somewhat shorter: about 30 years; leopards and lynxes 15 - 20 years. Smaller predators - the wolf and the fox, are less durable: the maximum age of the first does not exceed 15 years, and the second - 10 - 12 years.

Of the ungulates, deer and elk live about 20 years, roe deer - 15. Hippos and rhinoceroses in the zoo lived for 40 years. Rodents live much shorter lives, especially small ones like mice and rats, whose age limit does not exceed 2-3 years. The muskrat lives 4 years, the guinea pig - 8 years, squirrels and hares - up to 10 years. Among rodents, only the beaver stands out for its durability. Professor S.I. Ognev points out that these animals live almost until... 35 and even 50 years of age.

The most durable of domestic animals is the donkey, living up to 50 years; a horse and a camel live up to 30, a cow - up to 25, a pig - up to 20, a sheep - up to 15, a dog - up to 15, a cat - up to 10-12 years. There is information in the literature about horses that lived to be 62-67 years old, as well as about a cat that lived in the same family for 38 years. It should not be forgotten that farm animals are usually used to an age well below the age limit.

When viewing the above figures, it is surprising that approximately the same life expectancy of completely different animals, such as an earthworm and a fox, a toad and a horse, a crayfish and a lynx, a tridacna clam and a falcon, a raven and an elephant, etc. Thus, there is no direct proportionality between the complexity of the organization of the animal, the size of its body and life expectancy. Life expectancy still needs further careful study. At present, we can only say that the life expectancy of animals and plants various types presents as amazing a variety as their sizes.

Literature: Entertaining zoology. Ya.A. Zinger. Moscow, 1959

The lifespan, or biological longevity, of an animal is the period from birth to its natural death. The biological longevity of farm animals is a species feature. Animals of each species have a certain, genetically determined life expectancy limit, which is hereditarily fixed. The lifespan of animals of each species is judged by established and recorded facts of longevity of individual individuals. Farm animals have great biological longevity, which is confirmed by the following examples.
On the collective farm. Lenin, Kirsanovsky district, Tambov region, a cow of the red Tambov breed Rozetka and in the Trostyanets breeding plant of the Chernigov region a cow of the Simmental breed Nezabudka were used for up to 20 years. From the first, a lifetime milk yield of 49,025 kg was obtained, and from the second, 86,900 kg of milk. At the Karavaevo breeding farm Kostroma region Kostroma cows Krasa and Opytnitsa were used until they were 23 years old. A lifetime milk yield of 118,000 kg was obtained from Opytnitsa, and 120,247 kg of milk from Krasa. In Poland, the Chervona cow of the red Polish breed lived up to 28 years, and the Siva cow lived up to 35 years. The first calved 26 times, the second - 30. Siva's milk yield for the last lactation was equal to 2700 kg of milk. In Hungary, the Ram cow of the Hungarian motley breed was used for 32 years, and the cow Varan of the Hungarian red and white breed was used for 35 years. 27 calves were obtained from the Baraki cow, and 26 from the Varanu cow. Barani's milk yield for the last lactation reached 3981 kg. In England, two cows lived to be 36 years old, and one lived to be 40 years old.
In the breeding state farm "Otrada" in the Voronezh region, the sow Beatrice was used until she was 12 years old, and the sow Sorceress was used until she was 13 years old, which at the age of 13 farrowed 2 times and gave birth to 28 piglets. In Hungary, one queen lived for 22 years. She farrowed 46 times and gave birth to 414 piglets.
In Anglin, the stud books of Shropshire sheep record queens of 14-16 years of age. W. A. Rice described a sheep aged 21 years. IN Last year life from her received the 35th lamb.
I. I. Mechnikov reports about a horse that lived to be 50 years old. Before the same age they were used on the lungs transport work in one of the collective farms of the Transcarpathian region, the mare Charles of the Arabian breed. E. Davenport and W. Dgorst report that horses can live up to 54-60 years. The University of Manchester (England) houses the skull of a horse that died at the age of 64. I. I. Kuleshov reports about a horse that lived 67 years.
Thus, in the described cases, the natural life expectancy reached 40 years for cows, 22 years for pigs, 21 years for sheep, and 67 years for horses.
Many scientists have sought to find out the patterns of development and reproduction of animals different types, as well as factors determining their durability. As a result, a number of theories have been proposed to explain the reasons for the longevity of mammals and birds. Currently, the following theories about the lifespan of animals of different species are most common.
1. The life span of animals is directly proportional to the period of their development, i.e. the longer this period, the longer their life. Proponents of this theory believe that the possible life span of animals is 6-7 times longer than the period of their postembryonic development. For example, a horse that mostly completes development by 5-6 years old lives 30-35 years; large cattle, formed by 4-5 years, lives 20-25 years; Sheep and pigs, which complete development by 2 years, live up to 12-15 years.
2. The lifespan of animals is closely related to their size. Large animals have longer duration life than small ones. Rabbits have a shorter lifespan than dogs, sheep and pigs, which in turn are less durable than horses and cattle.
3. Life expectancy is inversely proportional to the fertility of animals. Rabbits, which produce up to 30 rabbits per year, and pigs - up to 40 piglets, live up to 6-7 years, and horses and cattle, which are less fertile, live longer.
4. The lifespan of animals of various species is determined by the type of their diet: herbivores are more durable than frugivores.
5. Life expectancy is related to the rhythm of breathing and heart contractions. Animals with a frequent rhythm of heart and breathing contractions do not live long: rabbits, in which it is more intense, live 6-7 years, and representatives of the same family, hares, with a slower rhythm of heart and breathing contractions, live much longer - up to 10-15 years . Horses have a heart rate half as fast as cattle, and their life expectancy is 2 times longer.
The assumption about the relationship between the growth period and life expectancy is plausible at first glance. However, the proportion proposed to substantiate this theory is far from accurate, since a number of facts are completely inconsistent with it. For example, a horse that reaches full development at 5-6 years can sometimes live up to 50-60 years, that is, not 6-7, but 10-12 times longer than the period of its growth and development. In other vertebrates, the relationship between growth period and lifespan varies even more. For example, a domestic goose has a fairly short period of growth and development, but lives for many years.
It is also impossible to find a direct connection between the size of animals and their life expectancy. If we take only mammals, then in some cases there really is a relationship between the size of animals and their life expectancy, which is confirmed by the above examples with rabbits, dogs, sheep, pigs, cattle and horses. This is explained by the fact that large animals for construction large mass bodies under other early conditions need a longer period of time. However, among mammals there are many exceptions, indicating that the size of animals is not always proportional to longevity. Adult rabbits and hares are similar in weight and size. It would seem that their life expectancy should be the same. In reality, a hare lives twice as long as a rabbit. Domestic bird It is relatively small in size and lives long. For example, geese significantly outlive many mammals and some much larger birds than themselves.
The different fertility of animals also does not determine their longevity. Sheep and pigs live approximately the same length of time, while pigs produce many times more offspring than sheep.
Various types of herbivores and carnivores have short and long life spans. Because of this, it is not possible to relate the lifespan of entire animal species to their type of nutrition.
Attempts to connect life expectancy with the structure and development of the respiratory and circulatory organs, as well as with the rhythm of breathing and heart contractions, are also insufficiently substantiated.
The most convincing theory is that of I.P. Pavlov, who believed that life expectancy in animals of various species developed in the process of their evolution. It is determined by the structure of the body, the degree of perfection of neural correlations in the body, and the general biological and living conditions of animals.
Biological longevity determines the timing of breeding and production use of animals of each species. Animal species with relatively long life spans, such as horses and cattle, are used longer compared to sheep and pigs, which have shorter life spans.
In each species, only individual representatives survive to the limits of the species life expectancy. The majority of animals of each species do not live to the end of their potential life (age limit), i.e., their individual life cycle rarely ends with physiological death. Almost all of them leave the farm earlier possible date biological longevity. This is explained by the fact that the period of use of animals of each species depends on their productive and breeding qualities. Animals are kept on the farm as long as they retain these qualities. high level. When productivity and breeding qualities noticeably decline, they are culled from the herd. A decrease in economic qualities with increasing age of animals also occurs as a result of their aging - a complex natural physiological process, completing the individual development cycle of the organism. As animals age, their metabolic rate decreases and their balance is disrupted. metabolic processes. As a result, the relationship between the body and the body is weakened. environment, adaptability to it deteriorates, which leads to a weakening of vital functions and the extinction of the life process. This is the cause and essence of aging.
Recently, in connection with the development of the science of enzymes - enzymology - changes in the properties of these biological catalysts that control all metabolic processes in the body have come to the forefront as factors responsible for the aging process.
Geneticists put forward two main groups of hypotheses about the aging of the body. Hypotheses belonging to the first group proceed from the fact that in the genetic apparatus of a cell, in its chromosomes, there is a special “aging program”. Just as the embryonic development of the embryo, the growth and formation of the individual is controlled by the coordinated work of the genetic apparatus, so aging is controlled by the corresponding part of the program individual development. At a certain point in life, this program is turned on and the aging process begins. According to the hypotheses of the second group, aging is not part of a genetically predetermined program, but its by-product. Organisms begin to age “after the exhaustion of their biological development program,” that is, after they have fulfilled their main biological purpose - the reproduction of a new generation. Consequently, aging is an “extra-program” process of destruction of a living system, which has become useless from the standpoint of the evolution of the species.
To establish to what age animals maintain a high level of economic useful qualities, it is necessary to understand the patterns of individual development and age-related changes biological features body.
Based on knowledge of these patterns, it is possible to determine the rational timing of breeding and production use of animals, which results in the greatest zootechnical and economic effect.
In-depth knowledge of patterns age variability necessary for both long-term effective use highly productive animals, and for improving existing breeds.