Longevity on Pitara Kids Network

Which Insects Live the Longest?

Mon, 27 Nov 2000 07:47:29 +0000

Take a look around. Which insects do you see? A fly sitting on your computer screen, a mosquito buzzing in your ear just as you drop off to sleep, a butterfly flitting about in the garden outside, or how about the ants that made off with the remains of a dead moth?

Most of the insects we see around us have rather short lives. A few hours, a few days, that’s about how long most insects last. We don’t notice them dying out because they’re promptly replaced by a new bunch. Yet, some insects live comparatively really long lives.

Why Do Turtles and Tortoises Live So Long?

Sun, 23 Nov 1997 04:39:31 +0000

Turtles and tortoises have been on planet Earth even before the dinosaurs. They are that old. The difference between a turtle and tortoise is that the turtle stays in water while the tortoise stays on land. But both creatures have one thing in common: they live to a ripe old age, from 120 years to almost 200 years!

Some of them are huge, like the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands – they weigh beyond 200 kg; their shells are more than a metre long. The beauty is that they hatch from eggs that are no bigger than a hen’s!