Bowhead Whale Has 200 Year Lifespan
The bowhead whale has the longest life span of all Earth’s mammals and can live for over 200 years according to the results of a new study. With scant evidence of disease as a result of its age, researchers hope the longevity of the whale can offer some insight into how humans can live longer and healthier lives. The findings of the study were published recently in the journal Cell Reports.
Bowhead’s don’t get cancer
Scientists from the University of Liverpool sequenced the bowhead whale’s genome and then compared the results with those of mammals with shorter life spans. It would seem the bowhead whale has some important genetic differences that are unique to its species. One example of this pertains to cancer, DNA repair and cell division. It appears the process of aging might actually help increase its lifespan by ensuring the species avoids contracting diseases that usually occur with old age.
“Our understanding of species’ differences in longevity is very poor, and thus our findings provide novel candidate genes for future studies. My view is that species evolved different ‘tricks’ to have a longer lifespan, and by discovering the ‘tricks’ used by the bowhead we may be able to apply those findings to humans in order to fight age-related diseases.” senior author Dr. João Pedro de Magalhães said in a press release.
Whales have a huge number of cells
One important fact that should be considered is that larger whales such as the bowhead, have over 1,000 times the number of cells of humans and scientists believe that this is a natural defence against the onset of cancer in such species. Additionally whale cells have a much slower metabolic rate when compared to mammals that are a lot smaller. It is hoped that we will eventually learn how the bowhead whale avoids cancer which could have significant impact for treatment in humans.
The bowhead is the second heaviest mammal
The bowhead whale is closely related to the right whale and like that species, the bowhead is a slow moving filter feeder that consumes zooplankton such as mysids, euphausiids and copepods according to the NOAA. Aside from being the longest living mammal on the planet with a 200 year lifespan, they are also one of the heaviest mammals as well, weighing in at 100 tons which is second only to the blue whale. Bowhead whales can typically be bound in the Arctic and it is estimated that there are between 7,000 to 10,000 bowhead’s alive today.
