This is the largest study of longevity and aging, involving 114 scientists who have researched
Of the 30 known vertebrate species that can live up to 100 years, 26 are ectotherms, and so scientists have sought to find out how these animals manage to live so long.
Ectotherms are animals that depend on external sources of body heat.
Some species do not age at all, in other words,the probability of their death almost does not change with age. If an animal has a 1 in 100 chance of dying at age 10 and 1 in 100 at age 90, this is negligible aging. For the average US woman, by contrast, it is 1 in 2,500 at age 20 and 1 in 24 at age 80. Slight aging has been observed in at least one species in each group of ectotherms, including frogs, salamanders, lizards, crocodiles, and turtles.
The authors also found that the rate of agingcold-blooded animals depends on temperature. Reptiles age faster at high temperatures, while amphibians age slower. In addition, it turned out that amphibians and reptiles, protected by a shell, osteoderms or poison, age more slowly. Interestingly, species with carapace or osteoderms live longer than species with venom or lacking defenses.
Dependence on external temperatures, such as in cold-blooded animals, and low metabolism were no guarantee of longevity.
The researchers isolated only slowly aging wild tortoises: it was the only species studied in which a low metabolism is associated with slower aging and longer lifespans.
Thus, the most important factors influencingthe rate of aging and lifespan of tetrapods are the ambient temperature, the presence of protective devices, the age of onset of reproduction and fecundity. And the amazing longevity of turtles seems to be due to the fact that they have a shell that provides them with protection from predators.
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