Abstract
We present life expectancy estimates for hundreds of vertebrate species based on carefully vetted studbook data from North American zoos and aquariums. These data include sex-specific median life expectancies as well as sample size and 95% confidence limits for each estimate. Existing longevity data for animals primarily consist of maximum lifespan values, which are single observations rather than statistically derived estimates of longevity. Moreover, all of our estimates are based on the same type of data and calculated using consistent, standardized methods. To derive these estimates, we conducted Kaplan-Meier survival analyses using individual-level demographic data (i.e., records of birth and mortality events) from studbook records for each ex situ population. Our species set represents a range of vertebrate taxa (primarily mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles) and diverse life histories. This dataset will have broad utility, not only for informing comparative demographic and life history studies, but also more broadly for any research or conservation application that requires sex- or species-specific life expectancy information.
Highlights
Background & SummaryThe expected lifespan, age at maturation, clutch size, and interbirth interval are some of the basic life history traits defining the scheduling of events in an organism’s life
median life expectancy (MLE) provide more robust estimates of species longevity because they are statistically derived from a sample of observed lifespans[10]
Our dataset differs from existing longevity data because estimates for all species are derived from the same type of data and from the same sources, and calculated using consistent, standardized methods
Summary
The expected lifespan, age at maturation, clutch size, and interbirth interval are some of the basic life history traits defining the scheduling of events in an organism’s life. The studbooks contain individual-level demographic information (e.g., birthdates, reproduction events, and death dates when applicable) for all animals in the population[11] These data are carefully vetted by population biologists working with each population, and we used them to estimate Kaplan-Meier survival curves and to calculate MLE for each species (see Methods). The original motivation for calculating these MLEs was to provide zoo managers with accurate biological information about the animals in their care for communication and outreach purposes. These life expectancy estimates have broad utility for any research related to life history theory and comparative demography, and for informing the conservation management of single or groups of species. In addition to the MLE estimates, our dataset includes the sample size (i.e., the number of individuals whose partial or full lifespans were used in the survival analysis) and 95% confidence limits for each estimate to enhance their utility for research applications
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