I wanted to see which animals actually live the “longest” if you factor how they perceive time. I used The median Critical Flicker Fusion frequency (CFF) as a proxy for visual processing speed, multiplied by median lifespan years =True Lifespan.

Then I also calculated a “Max True Lifespan” using record ages + max CFF values. Finally, I normalized everything into human-equivalent years (75 = median human lifespan)

Some notes:

-The CFF values used were the median value. There is a lot of variation in how organisms percieve time so I just picked the number in the middle. Its not perfect but its still pretty interesting.

Species Median CFF (Hz) Median Lifespan (y) True Lifespan Max CFF (Hz) Max Age (y) Max True Lifespan Median Human-Equivalent (y) Max Human-Equivalent (y)
Albatross (est.) 95 60 5700 100 70 7000 78 96
Human 75 75 5625 90 122 10,980 75 150
Sulphur-crested cockatoo 85 65 5525 90 83 7470 76 102
Bowhead whale 35 150 5250 40 211 8440 72 116
Macaw (large) 85 55 4675 90 80 7200 64 99
African grey parrot 85 50 4250 90 60 5400 58 74
Elephant (est.) 55 65 3575 60 80 4800 49 66
Giant tortoise (est.) 25 120 3000 30 177 5310 41 73
Duck (est.) 105 22 2310 110 40 4400 32 60
Whale shark (est.) 25 80 2000 30 130 3900 27 53
Orca (killer whale) 35 50 1750 40 90 3600 24 49
Box turtle 30 50 1500 35 100 3500 21 48
Dolphin (bottlenose) 45 30 1350 50 60 3000 19 41
Dog 75 12 900 80 20 1600 12 22
Cat 55 16 880 60 25 1500 12 21
Budgerigar 85 10 850 90 20 1800 12 25
Mouse 90 2 180 100 4 400 2 5

Posted by WoahDerBud

7 comments

  1. Are you sure that  how they perceive time is linked to the CFF?

  3. Why they single out Ducks like that and what in the wtf is a Budgerigar?

  4. Macaws are a pretty large family with lifespans varying quite a bit. Same with ducks.

  5. I for one welcome our new Albatross overlords, when they develop free healthcare.

  7. so in “subjective years,” humans actually experience way more life than almost any other species

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