by Alan Haskvitz
Students have a real interest in the life span of mammals, and this presents an integrated learning opportunity for teachers of art, science, math, physical education, English and social studies. The data below came from numerous sources, but Encyclopedia Britannica is one of the most complete. (Links to these sites, and more, follow below.)
Of special note -- the Happy Birthday song was created by two schoolteachers and still is copyrighted. It is said to bring in over two million dollars a year in royalties. For the history of this song, go to Fun Facts about Happy Birthday to You.
Teachers can use the tables below to construct graphs, find animals by location, compare size of animals to life span, draw conclusions from the data as to which animal lives longer, and even research current human life span data.
For example, human life span by time period is listed below. These figures, at best, are estimates, but the statistics are based on current research and should be considered accurate.
Early man from the Neanderthal period, 20 years
Roman and Greek life span, about 30 years
European life span in the 1700s, about 36 years
Early 20th Century European life span, about 50 years
Mid-20th Century European life span, about 65 years
Current world life span, about 66 years
Current U.S. life span, about 80 years
The longest documented life span is about 123 years. (Jeanne Calment)
from Wikipedia, Life Expectancy over Human History
This data can be graphed and made into a timeline for younger students. Next, they can add the following data to the graph and try to deduce:
- the relationship between size of mammals and age, or
- the difference between plant eaters and meat eaters and life span.
They can also draw the animals to scale, research them and even write letters to zookeepers asking for the life span of animals under their care. Physical education teachers can have students graph the speeds of these animals and compare them to life span to see if there is a correlation.
Mice, 4 years
Dogs, large, 10 years; small, 15 years
Cats, 25 years
Goldfish, 49 years
Horses, 62 years
Elephants, 78 years
Galapagos tortoise, 190 years
Bowhead Whale, over 200 years
Older students might be interested in learning about the life span of plants. For example, General Sherman, a giant Sequoia, is said to be more than 2,000 years old. A Bristle Cone Pine may be nearly 5,000 years old. This information can result in research projects on how mammals and plants are different, as well as a comparison of how civilization affects them. For example, civilization creates medical advancements and pollution. Do these offset each other in terms of longevity? Would a tree survive as long in a city as in the forest? Would a person survive longer in the city or in the forest?
As for mammals other than humans, what causes their death? Animals that use their teeth and cannot replace them, such as grazing mammals, would starve if their teeth wore down, but what about birds and small fur-covered creatures? Does their size allow them to live longer? And, for older students, do your genes and DNA control your life span? For example, identical twins usually die within three years of each other and fraternal twins within six years.
Middle and high school students may like to explore the idea that humans have but one birthday. All others are anniversaries of that birth, the fact being that we celebrate the conclusion of a year.
The following information is compiled from a number of sources including those cited.
| Animal (General) |
Maximum Lifespan |
| (in years) |
| Mammals |
|
| Bat |
24 |
| Bear |
40 |
| Beaver |
20 |
| Bull |
28 |
| Camel |
50 |
| Cat |
25 |
| Chinchilla |
20 |
| Cow |
22 |
| Deer |
35 |
| Dog, large |
10 |
| Dog, small |
17 |
| Donkey |
45 |
| Elephant |
70 |
| Fence Lizard |
4 |
| Ferret |
12 |
| Flying Squirrel |
14 |
| Fox |
14 |
| Goat |
15 |
| Gerbil |
5 |
| Golden Hamster |
4 |
| Grey Squirrel |
20 |
| Grouse |
10 |
| Guinea Pig |
8 |
| Hare |
10 |
| Hippopotamus |
45 |
| Hog |
18 |
| Horse |
40 |
| Kangaroo |
9 |
| Koala |
8 |
| Lion |
35 |
| Mongoose |
12 |
| Mouse |
4 |
| Muskrat |
6 |
| Norwegian Rat |
4 |
| Opossum |
4 |
| Ox |
20 |
| Pig, wild |
25 |
| Rabbit |
9 |
| Sheep |
15 |
| Tiger |
22 |
| Wolf |
18 |
| Birds |
|
| Amazon Parrot |
80 |
| Blackbird |
18 |
| Canada Goose |
33 |
| Canary |
20 |
| Canvasback duck |
19 |
| Chicken |
15 |
| Cockatiel |
32 |
| Domestic Pigeon |
26 |
| Galah |
26 |
| Pigeon |
26 |
| Macaw |
50 |
| Mallard |
20 |
| Reptiles |
|
| American Alligator |
56 |
| American Box Turtle |
123 |
| Boa Constrictor |
23 |
| Caiman |
28 |
| Crocodile |
45 |
| Cottonmouth Moccasin |
21 |
| Galapagos Land Tortoise |
193 |
| Rattlesnake |
22 |
| Amphibians |
|
| American Newt |
3 |
| American Toad |
15 |
| Angleworm |
15 |
| Bull Frog |
16 |
| Leopard Frog |
6 |
| Insects |
|
| Ant, queen |
3 |
| Ant, worker |
0.5 |
| Bee, queen |
5 |
| Bee, worker |
1 |
Health and physical education teachers could have students research the relationship between proper diet and prolonged life. This site offers a place to start: Healthy Diet Key to Longevity
And finally, recent research has indicated that dinosaur bones have growth rings much like a tree. Each year leaves a trace or ring in the bone. Thus it has been estimated the larger dinosaurs lived more than 100 years.
Life span resources
Animal Life Spans
Life span for common animals -- nice descriptions of the way scientists find the age of animals with a table of ages
Dr. Bob’s All Creatures Site
Very user friendly
Encyclopedia Britannica
Search under life spans.
Food Resources for Building Valuable Integrated Lesson Plans
Longevity Records
Life span of most animals, for more sophisticated lessons
Move Your Students with Physical Education
Additional physical education links
REC Science
Additional science links
REC Sports/Games
Speed of Animals
Top 10 – Animals (Speed)
Put the speed of these animals in order.
Using Pets in the Classroom |
