Lifespan of animals. How long do pets live? Life expectancy of different animals Table 1

How does child care affect life expectancy? Statistics show that among primates, the parent who is responsible for the main care of the offspring lives longer. So, in humans, gorillas and chimpanzees, females live longer, but they are the ones who mainly care for

Is it true that the shape of the navel can predict life expectancy? A few years ago, a German psychologist attracted the attention of the press by declaring that the shape of the navel can not only accurately predict life expectancy, but also determine the general

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Life expectancy There are not many species among reptiles in which the life of individual individuals is surprisingly fleeting (just over a year). Typically, small lizards live in nature for 2–3 years, larger ones, as well as snakes, for several years. Turtles, especially large ones, reach even

LIFESPAN OF PETS AND NOT ONLY ANIMALS... Not a single mammal can compare in longevity with a human. And yet we make four-legged friends for ourselves, knowing that their life is short-lived. Who lives how long? When does he grow up and get old? Records The longest life expectancy among domestic animals is recorded for a hamster in England - 19 years, a rabbit in Tasmania - 18 years 10 months, a guinea pig in England - 14 years 10 months, house mouse- also in England - 7 years 7 months. The lifespan of most dogs is 8-12 years, rarely do any of them live to 15 years of age. Nature is, one might say, stingy when it comes to dogs. But even among dogs there are long-livers. Lived 29 years and 5 months Australian dog named Bluey. For almost 20 years she and her owner Les Holly herded cattle and sheep. There is a long-lived dog in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In Vache there lives a husky whose authentic age is 21 years. To establish proper relationships between humans and animals, sometimes knowledge of age appropriateness comes to the rescue. Thus, according to the French magazine Le Dobermann, there are the following correspondences between the ages of dogs and humans.

7 years - 7 - 49 years 8 years - 7 - 56 years 9 years - 7 - 63 years 10 years - 6.5 - 65 years 11 years - 6.5 - 71 years 12 years - 6.3 - 75 years 13 years - 6.2 - 80 years 14 years - 6 - 84 years 15 years - 5.8 - 87 years 16 years - 5.6 - 89 years. The American Home Guide for Cat Owners provides a table comparing the ages of cats and humans:

The longevity record for a cat is 28 years. How old was she in human terms? The oldest domestic animal whose age has been accurately determined was not a cat or a dog, but a cow named Modoc, who lived 78 years. She was brought from Germany to the United States at the age of two in 1898. Modoc graduated from The Cow Age in California in 1975. Maybe, in order not to injure yourself, get a cow as a four-legged companion? Lifespan of dogs different breeds and some aspects of feeding, maintaining and treating these elderly animals. Currently, the number of dog breeds exceeds 400 - from the tiny Chihuahua weighing up to 2 kg to the giant St. Bernard weighing 80 kg and above. Despite the fact that dogs of any breed are one biological species (Canis familiaris), there are enormous differences anatomical structure Animals of different breeds affect the quality of life of pets and are paramount in determining its duration. The ratio of the age of dogs to the age of humans, according to different authors, ranges from 5-7 years of a person to 1 year of a dog’s life. A dog, as a companion, as a protector and friend, lives the same life with its owner for quite a long time. Paying due attention to your dog's naturally declining health will help prolong your time together. Below is a table of the average life expectancy of dogs of different breeds.

From the data presented it is clear that what bigger dog, the shorter it lives, and the small genetic material of new exotic breeds, along with a certain “fashion” for some breeds (for example, the Rottweiler 11 years ago) affects the number and severity of diseases of these animals and, consequently, their life expectancy. A feature of feeding dogs after 5 years of age is a properly selected calorie diet in the direction of reducing the latter. For dogs large breeds(St. Bernards, Caucasian Shepherd dogs) in order to prevent gastric dilation and intestinal volvulus, reduce the amount of bulk feed (porridge, vegetables) and increase the number of feedings to 3 per day with an even decrease in the volume of each serving. In order to prevent a number of stagnation in the large intestine, from 5-7 years of age, 5-15 ml are added to the food daily vegetable oil. Bones are completely excluded from the diet. Vitamins and minerals must be given to dogs after 8 years of age regularly, and a complex of vitamins and minerals Its composition is close to that for dogs under 1 year of age. Watering of animals is carried out in normal mode, however, prolonged severe thirst should be the reason for the owner of an elderly dog ​​to contact veterinarian to avoid possible diseases. Of course, the life expectancy 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 average lifespan of cats is 10-15 years (in fact, with good care cats easily live up to 20-22 years, so the figures of 10-15 years are objective only for free-ranging cats that are not sterilized or vaccinated). For 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. The following data clearly confirms this: The average life expectancy of American Staffordshire Terriers is about 13 years; 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 old; 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 usually not as long as the life of cats and dogs. 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. The total lifespan 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 in 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. The lifespan of red-eared turtles, popular among animal lovers, is 30 (40-45) years, European swamp turtles are 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 passerines is 20 years, for owls 15 years, for diurnal birds of prey 21-24 years, for copepods 20 years, for ducks 21 years, for herons 19 years, for waders 10 years, for gulls 17 years, for ratites 15 years, for pigeons 12 years, for 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. If you search on the Internet, you can find average term life of almost any animal species, however, even from the data presented in this note it is clear that proper feeding and care significantly affect the lifespan of an animal in captivity, which means animal owners need to pay attention Special attention the health of your pets!

Changes in metabolism, brain-to-body size ratio, habitat, and many unknown things affect the lifespan of different animal species. Some species live for hundreds of years

Changes in metabolism, brain-to-body size ratio, habitat, and many unknown things affect the lifespan of different animal species. Some species live for hundreds of years, while others can live for a few hours. In this collection you will learn about the life expectancy of animals that have the shortest life span on planet Earth.

Domestic Rabbit (6 years old)

Rabbits are small mammals that live in various parts peace. Domestic rabbits have an average lifespan of only 6 years. These animals differ in size and colors. Obesity and uterine cancer are the main diseases of rabbits that affect their short life expectancy. High consumption of root vegetables and fruits also causes many health problems. Rabbits demand a large number of water every day and careful care. But nature took care of this problem by endowing these animals with a hyper-developed reproductive function.

Guinea Pigs (4 years old)

Guinea pigs are attractive social animals from South Africa. This cute variety has a shorter lifespan of only 4 years. Guinea pigs are susceptible to a range of diseases. They also require intensive care and feeding at regular intervals. Only proper care can extend the lifespan of guinea pigs to 4 years. Among the diseases of this animal, I most often highlight bronchitis, scurvy and excessive obesity.

Mosquito fish (2 years)

Mosquito fish are freshwater inhabitants of many bodies of water in the United States. The lifespan of this fish is less than two years. Frogs and other fish often prey on mosquitoes, which also contributes to this duration. Because of this factor, the fish has adapted to life in salty water, where it cannot be attacked by predators. Mosquito fish can live in environments with water temperatures up to 42 degrees Celsius.

Chameleon (1 year)

Among the chameleon family, the panther chameleon has a shorter lifespan of only 1 year. This species lives in the Northern and Eastern parts of Madagascar. This chameleon reproduces more frequently due to its shorter lifespan. Interestingly, all adults die before the next generation emerges from the eggs. Crickets and worms are the main food for chameleons. They drink a lot of water and instantly change color, easily hiding from predators.

House mouse (1 year)

The house mouse cannot live longer than 11 months. This small mammal has a shorter lifespan, which is actually made even shorter due to the very harsh environment in which this species lives. The main threats to this rodent come from people and their pet cats. The mouse is very difficult to catch, as it runs very fast and can easily hide in the most unpredictable places. Due to their short lifespan, mice reproduce very intensively.

Dragonfly (4 months)

There are 5000 various types dragonflies But this beautiful variety has a shorter life span of 4 months. Most dragonflies are captured by predators before they reach old age. Being in the form of a larva, these dragonflies cannot fly - this only makes the job easier for predators. Sometimes strong winds and sudden climate changes prevent the dragonfly from transitioning from its larval form.

Flies (4 weeks)

Houseflies are the most common and annoying insects in the world. They live for more short period- no more than 4 weeks. Flies grow from larvae in just a few days. Within a short life cycle, the female of each housefly lays up to 1000 eggs. Flies are considered one of the main spreaders of diseases, which they carry by flying around the house in search of food.

Male ants (3 weeks)

Male ants live within the ant colony, and their life cycle is only 3 weeks. Unlike regular worker ants, males have wings and are very lazy. Ant colonies are always founded by females. Males die immediately after mating with females.

Gastrociliary worms (3 days)

Gastrociliary worms, or gastrotrichs, are one of the marine microorganisms. They grow to a maximum size of 3 millimeters, and live for 3 days. Gastrotrichs are often attached to other aquatic bodies. Their transparent body has masculine and female organs for reproduction. Gastrociliary worms most often swim with the current.

Mayflies (24 hours)

Mayflies have the shortest lifespan on Earth, only 24 hours. This species is also called ephemeral due to its shortest lifespan. There are 2,500 different species of mayflies in the world. In fact, most of them die within a few hours, or even a few minutes. the main objective mayfly - reproduction of offspring. It's interesting that they digestive system also performs respiratory functions. Within this short period of life, they form groups and literally dance on every possible surface.

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, does not claim, for the reasons stated above, to be absolute accuracy, still give a real idea of ​​the diversity of life expectancy and life cycle of 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 the countries of the Mediterranean coast, 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 mollusk, weighing up to 300 kilograms. Indian Ocean- giant tridacna, the age limit of which is determined to be 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)

Which animals have the shortest life expectancy? Usually the insect mayflies are cited as an example, flying in masses in spring and summer evenings over rivers, lakes and ponds. Indeed these are in the truest sense ephemeral creatures live only a few days, and mayflies of some species 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, the entire life cycle of the mayfly lasts not days, but years, and here we can talk about the extraordinary shortness 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.

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. The queen bee is 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.

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. Muskrat lives 4 years 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, it can only be stated that the life span of animals and plants of various species represents the same amazing variety as their size.