Survival improvements of marine mammals in zoological institutions mirror historical advances in human longevity
An intense public debate has fuelled governmental bans on marine mammals held in zoological institutions. The debate rests on the assumption that survival in zoological institutions has been and remains lower than in the wild, albeit the scientific evidence in support of this notion is equivocal. Here, we used statistical methods previously applied to assess […]
Life expectancy and longevity of varanid lizards (Reptilia:Squamata:Varanidae) in North American zoos
In zoos, life expectancy—the average lifespan of individuals within a population, and longevity—the maximum lifespan within a population, can be useful parameters for evaluating captive husbandry and animal welfare. Using life history and demographic data derived from regional studbooks, this study examined life expectancy and longevity in a total of 782 wild-caught (WC) and captive-bred […]
Age and sex-specific mortality of wild and captive populations of a monogamous pair-bonded primate (Aotus azarae)
In polygynous primates, a greater reproductive variance in males have been linked to their reduced life expectancy relative to females. The mortality patterns of monogamous pair-bonded primates, however, are less clear. We analyzed the sex differences in mortality within wild (NMales = 70, NFemales = 73) and captive (NMales = 25, NFemales = 29) populations of Azara’s owl monkeys (Aotus azarae), a socially […]