The Elephant and the Whale Dispute the Record for Longevity, With the
Camel Third.
Elephants are perhaps the longest-lived members of the animal kingdom,
averaging between one hundred and two hundred years.
It is said that when Alexander conquered India he took one of King Porus's
largest elephants, named Ajax, and turned him loose with this inscription,
"Alexander, the son of Jupiter, dedicated Ajax to the sun," and that this
elephant, bearing this inscription, was captured three hundred and fifty
years later.
Most naturalists allow the whale about the same length of life as the
elephant--from a century to two centuries; but Cuvier declared that some
whales, at least, attain the age of a thousand years.
The average ages of other animals are as follows:
YEARS.
Ass 30
Bear 20
Camel 75
Cat 15
Cow 15
Deer 20
Dog 14
Fox 14
Goat 12
Guinea-pig 4
Hare 8
Hippopotamus 20
Horse 25
Hyena 25
Jaguar 25
Leopard 25
Lion 40
Monkey 17
Mouse 6
Ox 30
Pig 15
Rabbit 7
Rat 7
Rhinoceros 20
Sheep 10
Squirrel 8
Tiger 25
Wolf 20