The earth is billions of years old and even our favorite lake, Clear Lake, is more than 2 million years old. In comparison, humans and other animals live only a short time. It is surprising how short a time animals spend on the earth.
The time an animal is alive is calculated in several ways. There is the life expectancy and life span. Life expectancy is based on how long an animal is expected to live from birth. For example, an American’s current life expectancy is about 79 years. However, the life span for a human can be more than 100 years. The longest a human has ever been recorded as living is 129 years. However, there are certain species of animals that can live much, much longer. As an example, members of a certain mussel family are estimated to have lived as long as 507 years. There is also a Greenland shark that has lived 400 years. A tortoise died last year at an Australian zoo that was 176 years old.
A number of species of fish live more than 100 years. Rougheye Rockfish have lived to 205 years and Lake Sturgeon have lived up to 150 years. The Orange Roughy, which is a common ocean fish, can live up to 100 years.
On the other side, many wild animals have short lives. A blacktail deer has a life span of about 16 years but few live more than seven. Studies done by the University of California scientists show that only 8 percent of fawns born in Lake and Mendocino counties survive a year, Predation by coyotes, mountain lions and bears takes a massive toll on the young deer. Disease also plays a major role in the life expectancy of wildlife. For example, deer are browsers and feed on plant life. When they are feeding they often ingest sand and gravel, which wears down their teeth. They end up with an abscess or a jaw infection. The end result is they can no longer feed and they lose weight and become weak, which makes them perfect prey for a predator.
Clear Lake is known for its large bass population, but what most fishermen don’t know is bass have a relatively short life. A bass can live to 16 years but very few make it that long and most die before their seventh year. The current Clear Lake record for bass, a 17.52-pounder caught in 1990, was estimated to be 14 years old and near the end of its life. Clear Lake has thousands of catfish and they have a life expectancy of up to 20 years. Crappie can live up to 20 years but few make it past 10. The oldest recorded crappie was 15 years od.
Animals such as mountain lions and coyotes have to chase down their prey to get a meal. Once they reach a certain age they no longer can run fast enough and they end up starving to death.
Most insects live short lives. A common housefly can live about 15 days and a mosquito can make it to 20 days. Members of a species of termite can live up to 50 years.
Many animals suffer from the same diseases as humans, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and simple infections. For example, when a deer breaks its leg it can’t be fitted with a cast. Thousands of deer and other animals are killed by cars.
Unlike humans, who can receive the best medical care available, a wild animal can’t go to the doctor. Even the slightest infection can result in death. Starvation also takes a terrible toll on wild animals. If the food source isn’t there even the healthiest animal will die.
