英語エッセイ -Why do animals have such different lifespans?-

英語のあれこれ

2024.05.12

なぜ動物は、さまざまな寿命を持つのか？

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Whales live 200 years on the other hand mice can only live 2 years. Why is there a huge difference in longevity between animals?

Like humans, animals will experience an aging process after reaching sexual maturity. This is a process where the cells in our body get regenerated every day and keep our body healthy but this starts to dysfunction. As a result, our body stops reacting adequately which will result in disease and death. Just like humans, then why do animals have different lifespans? The answers are two keys.

First is the environment. According to some research, animals who live in the Arctic or Antarctica tend to have a long lifespan. For example, Greenland sharks can live up to 400 years. This is because the cold environment will make the animals have a slow heartbeat and less metabolism which will give an effect on slow aging process.

Second is their size. It is a known fact that larger animals like whales or elephants live longer than small animals like mice or rats. Small animals are prone to predators and result in short lifespans mostly under a year. However, this affects an evolutionary fact on them which they grow and reproduce in a short span. However, there are some exceptions according to size. Some small animals have a longer lifespan than mice. This is coming from their genes and the environment they live in.

Although, animals cannot improve their lifespan human can. We are the only creatures on earth that can control our lifespan through the advance of medical treatment and other factors.

質問

Some animals can live up to 400 years. Do you want to live that long?

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I don’t want to. I will definitely feel alone because everybody I know will die before me. But I would like to know what it’s like in 400 years. I would like to know how much human has progressed.