African Bush Elephant

Maximum longevity: 65 years (captivity) Observations: Under optimal conditions, males attain sexually maturity at about 10 years of age and females at 11 years of age. Some animals, however, may not reach sexual maturity until they are 20 years old, and males generally do not reproduce until they are over 20 years of age. Elephants are long-lived mammals, but probably not as long-lived as often cited. Females remain fertile for about 55-60 years and elephants have been estimated to live up to 70 years in the wild (Ronald Nowak 1999). More conservative estimates suggest elephants live up to 65 years in the wild (Wiese and Willis 2004). In captivity, there are anecdotal reports of animals living over 80 years. Record longevity, however, belongs to one wild born female that was still living at 53-54 years of age (Richard Weigl 2005). Despite having as much as six sets of molars in a lifetime, elephants suffer from teeth erosion as a type of mechanical senescence.