Longevity in Animals.

Manawatu Herald, 17 December 1898, Page 3

Longevity in Animals.

The qaeßtion of the longevity nf animals is so of' en difcnssod that a scientist has taken tbe trouble to gather some details. The horse in a domestic state doeF not often live longer than from twenty to twenty.five ypar«, and th ass usually ranges to about the earn period The wild horae is supposed to reach a much greater age. The average life of a cow is fifteen years, and a cow's age can be told by its horns. At four years of age a ring is formed afc the roc', and each succeeding year another is added. By allowing three years before their appearance and then counting the number of rings, the animals age can be readily ascertained. Dogs usually live till they are fourteen years of age, sometimes lingering to twenty years. A cat's life is nearly on a par with the dog's usually extending to about fifteen years. Pigs have been known to drag out an existence for thirty years, but their average term is less. Up to the age of ten years sheep will usually thrive tolerably well ; and the " guide sheep " of shepherdsold weathers whose vocation is to direct the bleating flocks in unfrequented wilds —are said to attain the age of twenty years. The hare and rabbit, if they manage to steer clear of the sportsman's gun, live about seven years. The roebuck seldon exceeds the age of .fifteen, but the stag, or red deer attains to greater longevity, naturalists asserting that his term may go beyond forty years, and even reaoh half a century. The average age of the fox is from twelve to fifteen years ; and of the wolf from fifteen to twenty. The bear rarely exceeds twenty years, an age which the rhinoceros usual)} attains. The camel arrives at maturity in'five year?, lives to forty or fifty, and in rare instances becomes a centenarian. Tbe lion, reputed a long-lived animal, does not unually go beyond twenty five years, although there have be<r instances of members of the tribe attaining to the age of seventy and upwards. Of all the animals, the elephant carries the palm for longevity, hie average span reaching the century, and frequently over.topping it.