The MAXIMUM LIFESPANS of 17 wild ANIMALS in the UK

hi everyone it's liam here from a shot of wildlife now i've been making these wildlife factfile videos for about three years now and one of the things you always comment is that you're surprised by how long animals can live so today i've put together a list of 17 random species i'm going to tell you how long they can live for and the longest lived animals of them species that have ever existed let's crack on [Music] first up and starting with the smallest animal on this list is the woodlouse there are 30 species of these strange looking and land-living crustaceans in the uk and each have slightly different lifespans the most numerous is the common grey woodlaws which has a maximum lifespan of three years [Music] next up is the common earthworm there are 27 different types of earthworm in the country and one acre of healthy soil can be home to more than a million of them given ideal conditions they can live for up to six years although being at the bottom of the food chain they usually don't survive anywhere near this long [Music] now i've tried to put this list into approximate size order but i appreciate that some earthworms are larger than some peacock butterflies these easily recognizable insects have a well-known life cycle that includes four stages eggs caterpillars chrysalis and then adults in total they have a maximum lifespan of just over 13 months four to five of which they spend in hibernation the first bird to feature on this list is the smallest bird in europe the gold crest weighing just five and a half grams they're only slightly heavier than three playing cards if they survive to fledging the nest they have an average lifespan of two years but the oldest confirmed wild bird made it to seven years of age common lizards are also known as vivapros lizards because they give birth to live young as with a lot of reptiles the females grow larger than the males and can also live for slightly longer overall they have an average life expectancy of five to six years but the oldest known male made it to seven years and the oldest female survived to the ripe old age of 11. like common lizards common toads are cold-blooded and therefore have slower metabolisms compared to mammals or birds this also means that generally they have a longer life expectancy than their similar sized warm-blooded counterparts if a common toad survives being a tadpole it has an average lifespan of 10 to 12 years however one female common toad has been recorded as surviving to over 40 years of age next up and the first mammal on this list is the european mole these creatures spend almost their entire life beneath the ground so not very much is known about them in the wild it's thought they have an average lifespan of around two years but they have been recorded up to six years of age the song flush is known for its loud and repetitive call and for its habit of smashing snail shells on rocks only 20 of fledging survive through their first winter but after that they can live for quite a long time the average lifespan is three to four years but one bird was recorded at 13 years and nine months of age i've tried to cover a broad range of species on this list so here is a freshwater fish the perch like a lot of other animals that breed by producing hundreds of thousands of eggs per year they have an extremely high mortality rate in their first few weeks of life if a perch survives to adulthood it has an average lifespan of five years but they have been recorded in excess of 22 years of age [Music] stokes are small members of the mustelid family related to badgers ferrets and otters they are fast and efficient hunters with an average lifespan of one to two years they are capable of living longer than this though and have been recorded at eight years old grass snakes are the largest native reptile in the uk growing to more than five feet in length they have an average lifespan of 15 years but have been recorded at more than 25 years old i expect they can actually live for quite a bit longer than this and as there are more and more studies into the species the longevity record may increase barn owls are a much loved part of the countryside and are also kept as pets by thousands of people in the wild young birds have a very high mortality rate with only 30 percent that survived the fledging making it to the second year they have an average lifespan of four years but have been recorded at 15 years old in the wild and at 20 years old in captivity red foxes are the second mammal on my list and are a common sight in urban areas unfortunately they are very susceptible to collisions with cars and are a target to both legal and illegal persecution in the wild they have an average lifespan of three to four years but they are capable of living way longer a captive fox was recorded as living to 21 years and three months of age mute swans are the fifth heaviest flying birds in the world and are the only native swan that is common and resident in the uk all year round they have an average life expectancy of 12 years but the oldest one on record was 40 years old when its body was found in denmark last year the oldest recorded mute swan in this country died at 30 years of age badges are an enigmatic symbol of the countryside they lead rather secretive and nocturnal lives spending most of their time beneath the ground but it is thought they have an average lifespan of five to eight years several wild animals have been recorded over 15 years of age and a captive badger once survived for 26 years [Music] white-tailed eagles are the largest bird of prey in the uk and thanks to reintroduction programs they are becoming more common in the southern parts of the country they have a wingspan of 2.4 meters and can weigh as much as 6.9 kilos their average lifespan is around 21 years but the oldest on record was fought to be 32 years old there is currently a pair of white-tailed eagles on the scottish hebrides the male of which is 28 years old and going strong and is thought that his mate may be over 30 years old although her identification hasn't yet been confirmed red deer are the uk's largest land mammal and are famed for their ruckus rotting ritual in the autumn the stags regrow their antlers every year and this alongside the physical demands of fighting one another for the right to mate means that they have a lower life expectancy than the heinz stags have an average lifespan of eight to twelve years with heinz averaging 12 to 15 years the oldest red deal on record was a captive hand-reared animal that survived to almost 32 years of age so there we go were any of them animals surprising did any of them live longer or shorter than you thought let me know down below if you enjoyed this video check out this other british wildlife video and if you like that subscribe for more thanks for watching and i'll see you next time [Music]

Channel: A Shot Of Wildlife

Views: 62,133

Keywords: how long can animals live, how long do woodlice live, how long do worms live, how long do butterflies live, how long do goldcrests live, how long do moles live, how long do toads live, how long do grass snakes live, how long do snakes live, how long do deer live, how long do barn owls live, how long do foxes live, how long do badgers live, animal lifespan list, animal lifespan comparison, how long do white tailed eagles live, animal facts, facts about animals, wild animals

Id: ksJwnRSh2A4

Length: 8min 12sec (492 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 02 2022