Why do elephants live longer than humans?
They don’t – at least, not in countries where humans have access to advanced health care. In these countries, like the UK and US, people can live to between 70 and 90, barring accidents and so on. A few will even live longer than this. Elephants in the wild that are not killed by disease, predators or each other generally live to around 60. Their molars are constantly lost and replaced throughout their lives, with the worn ones moving forward in the jaw and dropping out as new ones erupt from the back. By the time the elephant reaches about 60, it has no new teeth left to replace those that fall out. It can therefore no longer feed, and will starve to death. Captive elephants are capable of living beyond the loss of their teeth as they can be fed on soft foods that do not require chewing, but it’s still an exceptional elephant that makes it to 70 or above.
