30 June 2008

An amazing database of ages

Everyone knows that bristlecone pines live longer than fruitflies, but between those extremes there are some fascinating numbers. These have been compiled by Human Aging Genomic Resources into a massive compilation of 4000 entries called the Animal Age (AnAge) database.

In this amazing table, species are ranked for longevity, starting with the oldest. I presume the "longevity" number is a maximum (since humans are listed at 122), and there are some intriguing numbers:

Bristlecone pine 4,731
Ocean quahog (a clam) 400
Bowhead whale 211
Box turtle 138
European eel 88 (!)
Mute swan 70
Bushmaster 31.6
Deer mouse 8.3

There were also names that had me scrambling for wiki - warty oreo, kakapo, stinkpot - sounds like potential material for "name that animal."

It's an interesting list. Take a peek.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...