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Comparing Life Spans of Various Mammals
Chapter 27: Mammals
The life span of mammals can range from under one year to more than 60 years. Mammals with short life spans reach their physical maturity at an earlier age, and have shorter gestation periods than those mammals who have a longer life span. Does body size of a mammal have any relation to its life span? You can find out if you…
Try This
- Look at the data table shown.
Mammal Life Span (in wild) Bat 10-20 years Buffalo 20 years Dolphin less than 20 years Elephant 60-70 years Gorilla 35 years Hedgehog less than 7 years Hippopotamus 45 years Humpback whale 40-50 years Lion 15-20 years Mouse about 1 year Polar bear 15-30 years Rabbit about 1 year
- On a separate sheet of paper, arrange the mammals in size order from the smallest to the largest.
Analyze Your Results
- Which mammal has the shortest life span? Which has the longest?
- Is there a difference between land mammals and aquatic mammals in regard to life span?
- Is there a relationship between mammal size and life span? Explain your answer.
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