Gerontology Geniuses
With so many bat species in existence, there is a wide range of life expectancy among them. Some species live an average of 10 years, while others die at 25. When compared to the average lifespan of 80 years for the longest living bird species — the cockatoo — it doesn’t seem that impressive. However, in the world of mammals, bat longevity is one more trait that makes this animal fascinating. In mammals, there is a connection between body size and life expectancy. The bigger the species size, the longer they live. Bats have small bodies, yet they live a lot longer than other mammals of their size. Currently, the oldest bat in captivity is Statler, an Indian flying fox bat, that resides in a bat sanctuary in Texas. He’s 33 years old. A Brandt’s myotis bat living in the wild in Siberia is older than Statler, and it’s a lot tinier, too. Yet, it turns out that this little guy has made it at least 41 years — in the wild! That bat defies the rules for both mammals and bats.Important Insights
When people compare a dog’s age to a human’s age, they generally multiply the dog’s age by seven. For a bat, you multiply its age by three to get the human equivalent. Statler is 99 years old in people years, while the Siberian bat is 123. Now, that’s impressive! Scientists are highly interested in looking at why and how bats live so long for clues on how humans can do the same. Bats have some distinct features that help them survive. They fly, and they can maneuver better than birds in the air. They are nocturnal, so they don’t compete with most birds and other animals that eat insects, fruit or nectar. They hunt using echolocation, an extremely effective and efficient way to locate flying insects. However, one of the most unique characteristics of a mammal their size is its breeding cycle.