Page 24 - One Million Things: Animal Life - The Incredible Visual Guide

LIFE SPANS

Usually, the bigger an animal is, the longer its life 1 Kangaroos live for 10 years on
span. But other factors are also involved. Animals average. They become mature
that breed slowly, produce fewer offspring, and within two years and are able to
breed all year round. Young
show parental care tend to live longer, as do
kangaroos may be preyed on
animals with a large brain in relation to their body
by dingos and birds of prey.
size, those that consume energy slowly, and those
with fewer predators.
1

2
2 Honeybee workers are sterile 5 10
females that fulfill many roles within
W E E K S
the bee colony. During their five Y E A R S
hectic weeks of life they feed and
clean bee larvae and pupae, construct
new wax combs for eggs and honey,
guard the entrance to the colony, and
collect pollen and nectar from flowers.

30 5 120 400
3 Y E A R S Y E A R S
Y E A R S

15
15 Y E A R S

Y E A R S 6
4

12

Y E A R S

7

3 Giant salamanders have fairly
long lives; they are big amphibians 5 Giant tortoises live for a
with low energy consumption. lengthy 120 years. Many factors 6 Lobsters are among the 7 Domestic cats live
contribute to their staying power: largest crustaceans, protected long lives, with shelter,
4 Sea lions, preyed upon by large they are big creatures, they live on from predators by their large regular feeding, and protection
sharks and killer whales, live for islands where there are few natural claws and hard shell. Most live for against infection. Animals kept
15 years, on average. predators, and they are slow- around 15 years, but exceptional as pets generally live longer than
moving, low energy consumers. specimens can reach more those in the wild because they are
than 100 years old. fed and protected from predators.
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