#20: The Average Lifespan of Mammals
Things got a little ‘hairy’ after dinosaurs became extinct; unlike dinosaurs with feathers and scales, mammals have hair or fur. Have you ever wondered about the average lifespan of mammals? Mammals are warm-blooded creatures that nurse their young. Small mammals like weasels usually live one to two years, while larger mammals like elephants live around five decades.
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The bowhead whale takes the cake, though. Their average lifespan is 200+ years. Human lifespans have experienced a remarkable surge over the decades. The average lifespan in 1950 was 47 years; it is now 72 years. As human longevity flourishes, it harms wildlife populations. There has been an 85 percent reduction in wild mammal lifespans.