In article <1992May28.150102 at aifh.ed.ac.uk>
bridget at aifh.ed.ac.uk (Bridget Hallam) writes:
>>I want to know the vertebrate species with maximum and
>minimum expected lifespans, for writing up a project about
>robots. Can anyone out there help?
I'm not sure there is a concept of "minimum expected lifespan".
The maximum expected lifespans for a variety of species are:
species tmax, years
Plants
Bristlecone pine > 5,000
Conifers and deciduous trees 300-1,500
Bamboo (Phyllostachys) <= 120
Century plant (Agave) > 100
Puya raimondii 150
Invertebrates
Lobster > 50-100
Quahog > 200
Vertebrates
Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) 152
Tortoise > 150
Rockfish > 120
Homo sapiens > 110
Dogfish 70
Elephant > 60
Pilot whales > 50
Rinosceros unicornis > 50
Hippopotamous amphibius > 45
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) > 40
Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) 35
Eels (Anguilla) 10-15
Eels (Anguilla, spawning prevented) 60-80
There are many more. The definitive reference on this is:
Longevity, Senescence and the Genome (1990) by Caleb E Finch.
It is an amazing book with 680 pages of text and 160 pages of
bibliography. Well worth reading for anyone interested in
the evolution of ageing.
--
Robert Bradbury uunet!sftwks!bradbury
Death is an imposition on the human race, and no longer acceptable
Alan Harrington, The Immortalist (1969)
