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The lifespan of an animal depends on its habitat, size, food sources and its protective abilities, as well as other factors. The insect life cycle on this list consists of several stages. In some cases, one stage of the insect’s life cycle is much longer than the other.
A small rodent on this list is considered a pest and runs the risk of perishing wherever it lives. There are also many natural predators here! The reptiles listed here have a natural life cycle that makes their population thrive in Madagascar.
Read on to find out about the specific facts surrounding each of these nine animals with the shortest lifespan.
# 9 Regular mouse: three years
A typical mouse three or four inches long is adaptable and can live in a wide variety of environments. They can live in homes, farms, city buildings, or in the forest. This small rodent is included in the list of animals with the shortest lifespan, as it lives up to three years. Unsurprisingly, this rodent has a variety of predators, including cats, snakes, foxes, and owls. In addition, it has a short lifespan because it is considered a pest. They can chew on electrical wiring, rip apart food, and leave a mess of small feces in the house. Mice are killed by traps and venom set up by homeowners, building managers, etc.
Despite these circumstances, the general population of mice remains strong. Normal mice become sexually mature at just 30 days. A female mouse can have up to ten litters of four to six pups in just one year.
To learn more about the regular mouse, see here.
# 8 Mosquitofish: a year and a half
Mosquito fish inhabit areas of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. This fish eats a large number of mosquito larvae. Female mosquitoes grow up to 2.8 inches in length and males up to 1.6 inches. The life span of these fish is only 1.5 years. Their size makes them easy prey for larger fish in their habitats, such as catfish, bluegill and perch. They are also eaten by turtles, snakes and other animals that live in the water.
Despite their short lifespan, mosquitoes are plentiful. Unlike other fish, mosquito fish give birth to their young. A female mosquito fish can have up to 60 cubs.
# 7 Laborda’s Chameleon: One Year
The Chameleon Laborde is named after the French explorer Jean Laborde. He was the first to spot these reptiles in their forest habitat in Madagascar. This colorful chameleon is hard to miss. Males have bright green skin, while females have green ones with a pattern of blue, orange and purple spots. Its life cycle is only one year.
The life cycle begins when Laborde’s chameleons are born in the month of November. Young animals reach sexual maturity at the end of January or February. These chameleons breed and their cubs are born in November. The older adult Laborde chameleons in the population die at the end of the year.
To learn more about chameleons, go to this page.
# 6 Work Bee: Eight Months
If any bee can be described as busy; this is the right one. The young worker bee has a lot of work to do. It feeds the larvae of the bees in the hive, processes the nectar and produces honey. As the worker bee ages, it has to scoop up water from the site and bring it back to cool the hive. In short, worker bees spend their short lives completing tasks to help the hive and its queen survive. One of the most interesting things about the worker bee is that its lifespan changes with the seasons.
The life cycle of a worker bee, which grows and is active in summer, ends in about 6 weeks. Some might say that worker bees who work in the summer end up working to their death. Alternatively, a worker bee active during the winter months can live six to eight months. This is because this worker bee requires less effort in the winter and is able to store fat in its body for nutrition. They are sometimes called winter bees. In addition, worker bees are needed at this time of year to keep the queen warm in the hive.
To learn more about bees, visit this page.
# 5 Dragonfly: four months
Have you ever seen a dragonfly hovering over the cattail of a lake or pond? These are colorful insects that are very interesting to watch. They are on this list of animals with the shortest lifespan because an adult dragonfly lives for only four months. However, to get a complete picture of the life of a dragonfly, it is necessary to look at the earlier stages of its life cycle.
At the stages of the life cycle of this flying insect, it turns from an egg into a nymph into an adult dragonfly. After the eggs are laid in the water, they will hatch in about a week. Young dragonflies or nymphs emerge from their eggs and remain in the water. As it grows, the dragonfly larva can remain in the water for several months or even several years! But once it emerges from the water and turns into an adult dragonfly, it lives for about four months.
Visit here to learn more about dragonflies.
# 4 Indoor fly: two months
House flies live wherever humans live. Why? Because they are attracted by the looks and smells of the foods people eat. These flies can land one moment on a full dumpster and the next on a picnic sandwich! They feel great in various weather conditions and live on all continents. But the l
if
espan of an adult housefly is very short. They only live for one to two months.
The life cycle of a house fly includes the stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Housefly eggs hatch in less than 24 hours. The larval stage lasts five to fourteen days. The pupal stage lasts three to ten days. So, each of the stages of this fly’s life cycle is short. But don’t worry about the lack of house flies! Each female housefly can lay up to 500 eggs at a time.
To learn more about the housefly, visit this page.
# 3 Ant Drone: Three Weeks
The drone ant is not like the common ant that can be seen on the sidewalk. It has wings and a large wasp-like body. However, this is an ant that plays a very important role in the life of its colony.
All drone ants are males. The purpose of this ant is to reproduce so that the population of its colony will continue to thrive. In fact, it is known as a reproductive ant. The life cycle of this ant begins and ends in just three weeks.
To learn more about the drone ant, read here.
# 2 Fruit fly: two weeks
Fruit flies are very small, only one-eighth of an inch long. Their red eyes make them a little easier to recognize when compared to mosquitoes and other flies. These tiny flies are attracted to rotting fruits. Unsurprisingly, they appear in home kitchens around the same time people bring vegetables and fruits from the backyard garden. The life cycle of a fruit fly lasts only 14 days!
Fruit flies serve as a food source for many different species of animals, including frogs, spiders, toads, and fish. While they can be pests, buzzing around the fruit bowl, they play an important role in the ecosystem.
Find out more about fruit flies right here.
# 1 Mayfly: twenty four hours
The mayfly is a small flying insect that lives around lakes, ponds and streams in North America. Belongs to the order Ephemeroptera. The fact that it belongs to this order says a lot about why this insect is at the top of the list with the shortest lifespan. Ephemeroptera in Greek means short-lived.
The life cycle of a mayfly begins with an ovum. The eggs are laid in water, where eggs hatch shortly thereafter. Mayfly nymphs emerge from their eggs and remain in the water. In fact, depending on the species, some mayfly nymphs stay in the water for months, while others stay there for years. In the end, the mayfly nymph crawls out of the water, molts and becomes an adult mayfly. Adult mayflies live less than 24 hours.
Find out more about the fascinating mayfly right here.
Nine animals with the shortest lifespan:
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