Now for some fast facts: The longest-living
the person was a woman who made it 122 years and 164 days. Which isn't bad for a species with an average
lifespan of 72 years. There was also a cat that set the record for
the feline community by living to 38 years. Yet dogs aren't so lucky, which means we
Humans, who've dubbed these loveably goofy creatures as our best friends, really feel
the sting. A 13-year-old person has their whole life
ahead of them, yet a 13-year-old dog is considered a senior at that age! While we humans take up to 18 years to stop
growing and developing, a dog is usually full-grown at 18 MONTHS! Canines do have their own record-setters.
An Australian Cattle dog born in 1910 lived
to be an impressive 29 years old! Impressive, given that most dogs live on average
From 10 to 13 years, depending on the breed, of course. Lifestyle and health play an important role
As well, but that's another story. We've all heard the statistic, “1 dog-year
equals 7 years for a human.” But the 1:7 thing isn't as simple and universal
as it's often quoted. It's more like: for the 1st year of their
life, a dog's age 15 human years! Then the age is about 4 human years with each
birthday. After 6 years of life, the larger breeds start
aging at a faster rate. And this can help explain why a Great Dane
is pushing it at age 10, yet a chihuahua can double that! But the question is: WHY?
Scientists have been trying to figure that
out for contracts. And not just about larger breeds living shorter,
but dogs in general. What sets the limits? And why do cats outlast our canine friends? These questions were first asked by Aristotle
back in the BCE times. They obviously didn't have the technology
or medical knowledge we do now, so the philosopher suspected that the reason was…moisture! He believed that elephants, for example, lived
longer than mice because they contained more liquid. Of course, the moisture thing wasn't right,
but his observations were pretty accurate overall: bigger animals do tend to live longer
than smaller ones. For almost a century, people believed that
creatures with faster metabolisms don't
Live as long because their bodies get tired. But that's not entirely correct either,
at least according to experts who study aging in animals and humans. Let's consider our parrot friends. Their hearts beat up to 600 times per minute,
yet they have an average lifespan of 20 to 50 years! Their size has a lot to do with that, but
they still outlive many other creatures with slower heartbeats (and thus, metabolisms)
by family. Another theory on why some animals live shorter
has to do with these things called free radicals. These are toxins in our environment that we're
exposed to every day. Over time, they damage cells and cause aging. So, if you think about larger animals that
have more cells in their bodies, then they
Don't feel the adverse effects of these
free radicals as small animals with fewer cells do. Larger species living longer could simply
be a result of where they stand on the food chain. Take elephants and whales, some of the most
massive creatures on this planet. It takes them longer to grow because hardly
anyone would dare to attack them, right? Whereas mice and other small targets
are easily prepared to live life in fast-forward. They rush to grow up and reproduce ASAP so
that their species doesn't go extinct. Ok, but those are all animals that live in
the wild, not in cozy houses with people to take care of them. So, WHY don't dogs live longer?! Well, for one, dogs haven't always been
our pets, but we do have a long history
Together! Humans and canines have been friends for thousands
of years. DNA suggests that wolves and dogs split around
100,000 years ago. The oldest solid record that shows dogs were
domesticated was about 14,000 years back. So it's not like we just started welcoming
full-blown wolves into our homes! We adored our new pals so much that we even
painted them in some caves in Saudi Arabia 10,000 years ago. But some scientists believe we domesticated
our canine friends long before that. Maybe that's why they don't live very
long? We've been spoiling them with the comforts
of domestic living. Not to mention cross-breeding them to make
adorable new designer types: Maltipoos, Chiweenies, puggles.
Have we messed with their ancient wolf DNA
a little too much? It's a reasonable question...the only problem
is: that wolves only live 6-8 years. Yeah, not as long as dogs! Well, the harsh conditions of the wild probably
have a lot to do with that. There's a theory suggesting that dogs don't
live as long because they're just so sociable! They live in packs, right? The way it usually goes is when a species
lives in groups, they're more likely to spread illnesses. Whereas cats evolved to protect themselves
from predators, we can see that today too. This independent nature can prolong an animal's
lifespan by about 3 years! Hence, why Whiskers usually makes it longer
than Fido.
There are other smaller creatures that live
longer because they've been able to avoid dangers. What comes to mind are bats and mole rats,
which kinda look like mini hairless walruses! Both have an average lifespan of 20-30 years. Now that we're on the topic of smaller species,
it gets more complicated, especially because some small dogs outlive larger ones. A 150-lb Irish wolfhound is lucky if they
make it past the age of 9. But an 8-lb Papillon will usually surpass
a decade of life. Here’s where size can have a negative effect
on health. Large dogs grow faster, right? Well, their bodies also need to carry more
weight, and their hearts must work hard to keep all that mass working smoothly.
Large species like Saint Bernards and German
Shepherds are more prone to hip dysplasia. Siberian Huskies can often develop immune
problems. Also, some breeds are younger than others,
and they haven't had enough time to evolve. The good thing is that our favorite animals
are living longer these days than they used to. It could be genetics, or, like for us humans,
more developed medicine and better-quality foods may be playing a role in prolonging
lifespans. Whatever it might be, over the past 40 years,
Both dogs and cats are living twice as long as they used to! Maybe it's those cute little sweaters we
put on them in the winter? …Nah! Now, earlier I said “goofy” creatures
for a reason, and you know exactly what I'm
Talking about! Does your dog take a treat or a big cheerful
of food from its bowl only to carry it into another room to eat? Like a lot of strange things your dog does,
its ancient instincts control its brain. It goes all the way back to wolves and the
pack mentality. Dogs are social animals with a clear understanding
of hierarchy. In that small society they formed, each member
of the pack had its own social order. There's the leader who makes all the important
decisions, like when and where to hunt, when they rest, when they can eat, and who can
eat. Domesticated dogs follow the same hierarchical
rules, and they recognize their owners as the pack leader.
So, when you give them food, they prefer to
take it to another room so that you won't try to steal it! And that circling ritualistic thing they do
before they lie down? Again, this isn't something they learned
but a result of their wild instincts. Spinning in circles might happen for several
reasons. One is to prepare the ground and make it
comfy. The other is to position themselves in the
right way to prevent an attacker from getting to them. Or in my dog, Riley's case, it's to occupy
the majority of the space on the bed. What about rolling around in the grass like
a goofball? Several reasons for that. The first one is because it's nice and soft,
and it feels good.
Even I do that! The second is to get rid of dirt and debris
off their back – the grass is a perfect cleaner. But the third is one you might not see coming
when you're staring at your little Yorkie rolling around the yard: it's their predatory
DNA! When they smell something in the grass they
can hunt, they'll use the grass to mask their own scent and sneak up on their prey. Most of the time, though, they'll do it
instinctively and then forget about it! Crazy dogs – gotta love 'em!
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