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Wolves in captivity can live up to 16 years. In the wild, 12 years. One presumes that 11 year old wild wolves don't have the health problems that plague 11 year
by com2kid 3y ago
Wolves in captivity can live up to 16 years. In the wild, 12 years. One presumes that 11 year old wild wolves don't have the health problems that plague 11 year old large dog breeds.
Giant dog breeds humans have made rarely have such long life spans, with dogs like Saint Bernards, Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds living 8 to 10 years.
That is living indoors, with access to regular medical checkups, and without parasites.
FWIW Wolves are huge, up to 160lb.
- debacle 3y agoThe breeding for all dog species is very poor. It is rare to find a breeder that even knows what they're doing let alone one who actually is trying to build a strong breeding stock for the future. Wolves in the wild are lucky to make it to 7 years. A 12 year old wild wolf is exceptionally rare.
- com2kid 3y agoFair, 12 years is the upper bound with 7-8 being more typical. But 7 to 8 years is the upper bound of many large dog breeds who are pampered and have excellent medical care. There are many large dog breeds that will never make it to 12, but a pampered wolf will. My overall point is that even for the overall category of "large canine", we've reduced the lifespan of domesticated dog breeds.