No two species of animals are exactly the same. Even animals in the same groups, such as felines or canines, differ in a variety of ways. One example of differences are the lifespans of different animals. This can vary based on many factors, ranging from animal classes, like mammals and birds, to habitat and lifestyle.

Typically the shortest living creatures, most species of bug, don’t last for very long. The shortest living of them all, the Mayfly, has a life expectancy of a single day, and is considered to be the shortest living animal on the planet. That being said, bugs have a different perception of time than us, so it’s possible it could feel longer to them.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, some reptiles can live for a very long time. Usually a bigger animal will live longer than a smaller one, so crocodiles, certain turtles and big snakes can live incredibly long, usually more than 20 years. This isn’t too big a number for humans, but for animals that is not too shabby. For a really long lifespan, the giant tortoises from the Galapagos Islands have been reported to live for up to 300 years, more than twice as long as the oldest living human being on record. 

Mammal age varies drastically. The shortest lifespan for mammals are shrews, they gave a lifespan of about 2 years. Many other rodents like hamsters also have shorter life expectancies. On the other hand, the bowhead whale is able to live for up to 200 years, a drastic increase. In between them though, most mammals’ life spans range in the decades, though smaller mammals do live shorter lives on average.

Animals live for varying lengths of time, and each for different reasons.