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From the study that Marino & Frohoff (2011) cites for orca whale lifespan in the wild: > Using data from between 1973-4 and 1987, females have a mean life expe
by marvin-83 7y ago
From the study that Marino & Frohoff (2011) cites for orca whale lifespan in the wild:
> Using data from between 1973-4 and 1987, females have a mean life expectancy of 50.2 yr
How is this possible? I don't understand how a 14 year observation window allows someone to observe an average life expectancy of 50 years.
- moate 7y agoBecause they're able to tell how old the whale is when it died. They're not observing whales from birth to death in each instance. If you tried to do that, you'd be unable to speak on life expectancy on species with lifespans greater than like 10 years.
- marvin-83 7y agoby autopsy? Or is there clear external physiology that indicates the age?
- moate 7y agohttps://www.quora.com/How-do-biologists-tell-the-age-of-a-whale https://www.quora.com/How-do-biologists-tell-the-age-of-a-wh... Quick and dirty: size is a pretty good indicator to approximate, but if you've got yourself a dead whale you can check the bones to get a better number.