Genetic analyses also suggest mammals' social lives and life spans are evolutionarily linked:
For mammals, one secret to a long life may be spending it living with friends and family.
An analysis of the life spans and social lives of nearly 1,000 mammal species shows that species that live in groups, such as horses and chimpanzees, tend to live longer than solitary beasts, like weasels and hedgehogs. The finding suggests that life span and social traits are evolutionarily entwined in mammals, researchers report January 31 in Nature Communications.
[...] When evolutionary biologist Xuming Zhou of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing was studying the longest-lived mammals to understand the evolution of longevity, he took particular note of naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber). The rodents are exceptionally long-lived, sometimes reaching over 30 years of age. They also live in huge, complex, subterranean societies. In contrast, other rodents like golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), which are solitary, live to only about four years.
[...] Zhou and his colleagues decided to see if there were any links between longevity and social habits shared across a wide range of mammal species.
The researchers compiled information from the scientific literature on the social organization of 974 mammal species. They then split these species into three categories: solitary, pair-living and group-living. When the researchers compared these three groups with data on the mammals' known longevity, they found that group-living mammals tended to live longer than the solitary species — roughly 22 years compared with nearly 12 years in solitary mammals.
[...] "We were so surprised, because individuals who live in groups also face a lot of costs, such as competition for potential mating partners and food," Zhou says. Frequent social contact in group settings can also encourage the spread of infectious disease.
But there are benefits to living in a group too, he says, such as banding together for protection against predators. Living together may also reduce the risk of starvation if, for instance, group members increase foraging efficiency by finding and gathering food together. These factors may allow social mammals to live longer.
The evolution of a long life may also be more likely in group-living species: Living in a group allows animals to potentially aid the survival of their family members, which carry their genes.
Journal Reference:
Zhu, Pingfen, Liu, Weiqiang, Zhang, Xiaoxiao, et al. Correlated evolution of social organization and lifespan in mammals [open], Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35869-7)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 15, @02:24AM (1 child)
If living in groups causes mortality rate (from non age related causes) to drop then the species would tend to live longer.
Evolving genes allowing lifespans of 100 years is unlikely if practically all individuals get killed within 3 years of getting born.
But if living in groups allows individuals to avoid predators, more easily get fed[1] then no surprise they'd evolve to live longer.
[1] https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/19/world/vampire-bats-social-bonds-scn/index.html [cnn.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 15, @10:04AM
Weird ones are the naked mole rats:
https://www.science.org/content/article/naked-mole-rats-defy-biological-law-aging [science.org]
https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/naked-mole-rats-cancer-aging-longevity-295472/ [rochester.edu]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by darkfeline on Wednesday February 15, @03:18AM (1 child)
I love the implying implications, given that there's no way to even make any experimental or causative claims. Perhaps mammals that live longer form social groups due to having more life experience.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday February 15, @05:07PM
Mammals that are extremely good gamers may live in mom's dark basement, but have great life experience thus decreasing their mortality, because they use social media and have an excellent internet connection thanks to mom.
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...
(Score: 2) by Barenflimski on Wednesday February 15, @03:59AM (1 child)
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
One would think these kids were studying the living habits of neanderthals and making ground breaking insights. I should have introduced them to my buddy and his thousand cousins that live in a small town in Indiana.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday February 15, @02:12PM
Food, maybe (unless they benefit from hunting in packs / scouting for food), but:
>competition for potential mating partners
Ummm... how is that a cost at all? Either you're the alpha with lots of partners, or you're out on the fringes not wasting time defending your harem - so what if the alpha starves to death while siring 100 offspring, there are 99 other males who didn't have to waste their energy on all that.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 15, @04:32AM (1 child)
Naturally. In a group you dont have to be the fastest or strongest, you just dont have to be the weakest. There is safety in numbers.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Wednesday February 15, @05:12PM
There may be safety in numbers, but according to Obi Wan, the Sand People travel in single file to hide their numbers.
Hopefully their single file does not need to be defragmented.
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...