by Christopher Arnett
Native Foods Cafe
One of the latest stories to hit online news is the supposed death of the chimp who played the role of Cheetah in the Tarzan movies of the 1930’s. The aged chimp was reputed to be 80 years old at the time of his death on Dec. 24. by Debbie Cobb, outreach director of the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary. However, differing accounts are calling the claim into question. Writer R.D. Rosen even went so far as to say that the chimp’s purported identity is intentionally false with the aim of generating press and business for the sanctuary. But in a statement Cobb said the chimp had already been there since the time of her birth, 51 years ago. Unfortunately, any documentation that would put the dispute to rest was supposedly destroyed in a fire years ago. Who knows for sure?
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What we do know is that an 80-year-old chimp is highly unlikely. According to experts and the organization Save the Chimps, chimps in captivity typically have a lifespan of 40-60 years. However, the Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Fla. claims to have a chimp that is 73. So that got me thinking: how old do apes usually live, and what is the longest living ape that we know of?
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Since we were on the subject, let’s start with chimps. Chimpanzees typically live 35- 40 years in the wild, while reaching a rip old age of around 60 in captivity. If the aforementioned Cheetah really was Cheetah, he is hands down the oldest living chimp that we know of.
Next up, gorillas. Like chimps, they typically live around 35-40 years in the wild and reach 50 or more years in captivity. To date, the oldest living gorilla in captivity is Colo at Columbus Zoo, who just celebrated her 55th birthday on Dec. 22. Happy Birthday, Colo!
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And how about orangutans for good measure? It seems to be pretty much the same as chimps and gorillas, at 30-45 years in wild, and around 50 in captivity. The oldest orangutan in captivity was a chap named Guas, at the Philadelphia Zoo. He lived until 58!
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This is all very interesting, but what some other animals? Let’s take a look at the following:
• Macaw parrots can easily outlive their owners, reaching ages of 80-100 in captivity!
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• The Galapagos tortoise can live to about 190 years. I’m sure the protective shell helps.
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• Greenland sharks can typically reach 200 years. Masters of the sea!
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• Koi fish typically live over 200 years! All that Zen is doing wonders for them.
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• Bowhead whales could live up to 245 years! In fact, some of these whales that were studied still had harpoons in their bodies from the 1890’s!
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• And how about an interesting invertebrate? The turritopsis nutricula jellyfish is considered biologically immortal and has no maximum lifespan! (Don’t tell the Real Housewives, or these jellyfish might go extinct in efforts to discover the secrets of eternal preservation).
Hope you enjoyed the fun facts. Happy New Year! ;)
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