So just curious. Why does our bodies and organs and muscles start deteriorating at a certain point in our lives? And how come some mammals can live to be 300 years old meanwhile others are lucky to live a couple years?
In: Biology
What mammals live to 300 years old?
Many mammals are short-lived for a couple reasons. One, smaller animals often have much faster metabolisms so their lives are shorter. They literally live life “faster” than us; because of this, heart rate is actually a pretty good heuristic for how long an organism will live.
Another factor is environment. Many animals live in dangerous environments that kill them much sooner than old age would. You might see longevity statistics for a wild animal in one place and captive stats for another; this might seem to widen the gap of lifespans considerably, when in fact it’s just comparing apples to oranges.
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