Real vs. Ideal Life Spans
In nature, few creatures live long enough to reach old age. The “ideal” life spans here are based on longevity records of animals raised in captivity or of extraordinary long-lived animals in nature. The “real” life spans are estimations of the average or expected lifetimes of animals in the wild, based on field research. Read Live Long and Prosper for more on lifespans, and discover the ages of the longest lived plants and animals.
| Animal | Ideal | Real |
| American toad | 10 years | 1 year |
| Barn owl | 34 years | 21 months |
| Bison | 40 years | 15-20 years |
| Black bear | 30 years | 10 years |
| Blue jay | 26 years | 7 years |
| Bluegill | 8-11 years | 4-6 years |
| Bullfrog | 16 years | 8 years |
| Eastern chipmunk | 3 years | 1 year |
| Eastern cottontail rabbit | 9 years | 1-3 years |
| Garter snake | 20 years | 2 years |
| Gray wolf | 15 years | 5-6 years |
| Grizzly/brown bear | 50 years | 20-25 years |
| House mouse | 5 years | 1 1/2 years |
| Little brown bat | 31 years | 6-7 years |
| Moose | 22 years | 8-12 years |
| Mourning dove | 31 years | 1 1/2 years |
| Muskrat | 10 years | 3 years |
| North American river otter | 21 years | 8-9 years |
| Northern raccoon | 21 years | 5 years |
| Porcupine | 18 years | 6 years |
| Red fox | 12 years | 3 years |
| Robin | 14 years | 2 years |
| Sharp-shinned hawk | 20 years | 3 years |
| Striped skunk | 15 years | 1 year |
| Tufted titmouse | 13 years | 2 years |
| Western screech owl | 19 years | 1-8 years |
| White-tailed deer | 20 years | 2 years |
| Wild turkey | 13 years | 1 1/2 years |
| Woodland vole | 2 3/4 years | 3 months |
