Due to advances in medicine and technologies that help us make healthier choices, the current life expectancy for humans in 2024 is 73.33 years. This is a tremendous leap from 1950, when the average life expectancy of human beings from birth was 45.51 years. How about other mammals? How do they fare?
Visual Capitalist summarizes with the above infographic the average lifespans of mammals. Humans now hold the second spot of the longest lifespan, only next to the bowhead whale which can live up to 200 years.
Within the span of 70 years, the life expectancy of humans increased by 25 years. And the closest to our current life expectancy is the elephant which stands at 56 years, although it is interesting to note how that is even longer than the human life expectancy in 1950.
Of course, there are certain factors that contribute to the lifespan of these mammals. Apart from diet and lifestyle, some of them have been hunted by humans as well. Loss of habitat due to deforestation and commercial development may have also contributed to the general welfare and quality of life of these animals.
Not to mention, we don't exactly have the numbers of their populations. Even though these mammals may be able to live for that long, again due to anthropogenic activities, their numbers may be dwindling, and their futures threatened.
As the Visual Capitalist asserts, the longer humans' life expectancy has been, the larger the reduction in wild mammal biomass. Throughout the years, this biomass has seen an 85% reduction the more that human populations have grown.
Moreover, the majority of mammal biomass is comprised of livestock which is at 62%, and humans at 34%, leaving only 4% for the wild mammals. - via Digg
(Image credit: Visual Capitalist)
Commenting on Neatorama will earn you NeatoPoints!