I've often wondered how long pigs, dogs, elephants, snakes, spiders and other animals live. I suggest you clip out the following list for future reference. Figures refer to number of years. For the record, adult houseflies last about 20-30 days.
Nature has a way of complicating things, however.
Researchers believe that risks facing the mainland animals speed up reproductive maturity, thus assuring the survival of the population. This also causes the animals to age faster than their cousins on the islands. Dennis Adams is Information Services coordinator at Beaufort County Library.