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The dainty mayfly, an insect found all over the world in clean freshwater habitats, has the shortest lifespan of any known animal. It's on this planet for just 24 hours.
The dwarf pygmy goby of Southeast Asia, also known as the sign eviota, is not just one of the smallest fish species in the world, but it also has the shortest lifespan of any fish, period. It lives for just two months.
The panther chameleon, native to Madagascar, has an average lifespan of 12 months.
One of the shortest-living rodent species is Müller's giant Sunda rat. It lives for between six to 12 months across a range that includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Widespread and common across Europe, Asia, North America, and pockets of North Africa, the American copper butterfly enjoys a short window of life of about two weeks.
Endemic to Madagascar, Labord’s chameleon has the shortest lifespan ever recorded for a four-legged vertebrate, anywhere between four to five months.
One of the shortest lifespans of any bird on the planet is that of the ruby-throated hummingbird. A native of North and Central America, it lives an energetic three to four years.
The group of microscopic wormlike animals known as gastrotrich, but commonly referred to as hairybellies, survive for just five days in freshwater and marine environments all over the world.
Distributed across North America, the beautiful Luna moth graces the Earth for an average of just seven days.
Mosquitos are the deadliest animals in the world, killing an estimated 750,000 to one million humans annually. Only adult females bite, spreading diseases that include malaria, dengue fever, and Zika virus. And she does this in just seven days, the average lifespan of this deadly insect.
Widely distributed and with an average lifespan of 14 days, the fruit fly is regarded as a pest, attacking cultivated fruit, which can result in significant economic damage.
Houseflies have been on Earth for millions of years, in fact since the Cenozoic era. Yet the life expectancy of this pest species is just 15-25 days.
Drones are the only male ants in a colony. Resembling wasps, these insects take to the skies on the same day as virgin queens to mate during their nuptial flight. These unions in the sky last around 20-22 days, after which the drones die.
A serious pest, Indianmeal moths were given their name after they were seen to subsist on Indian cornmeal. But these common grain-feeding bugs also consume cereals, fruit, and similar products during their destructive 28-day lifecycle.
The industrious honey worker bee literally works itself to death, spending its short life of around 35 days flying to scout or collect nectar and pollen. On average, a single bee can produce one tablespoon of honey in its lifetime.
The dragonfly has been on this planet for at least 325 million years. Known for their speed and dexterity in flight, these striking insects experience an equally fleeting lifecycle, no longer than 180 days.
Shrews are found worldwide in a variety of habitats. They are near hyperactive in behavior, constantly foraging for food and fiercely territorial. Indeed, they work hard and play hard but die young, their average lifespan being around 365 days.
A game bird found in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia, buttonquails are not blessed with longevity. Males average three to five years, while females only manage around two to four years.
The much maligned pigeon can live up to five years, but its life is often cut short due to the precarious urban lifestyle it follows. Born and bred in captivity, however, these birds can enjoy a lifespan of up to 15 years.
This good-looking passerine makes the most of its two to five years, preferring to live out its relatively short life in the arid regions of Central Australia.
The least weasel's name is apt. This agile carnivore has a maximum two years' of life to claim its territory, reproduce, and keep rivals at bay. All this while maintaining a diet of small rodents, rabbits, and occasional birds and amphibians.
Found mainly in fresh or brackish waters in the Americas, southern Europe, much of Africa, and parts of the Middle East, the colorful killifish can survive up to two years in ideal conditions. But a vastly reduced lifespan of just 120 days has also been recorded.
The carpet beetle, a common household pest native to Europe, North America, and northern Asia, can do considerable damage to furniture, carpeting, and clothing during its 14 to 60-day domestic rampage.
More often heard but not seen, cicadas are the composers of a resonant song associated with hot, dry climates. Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts two to five years, but survive for only a month after emerging above ground as adult insects.
Powderpost beetle larvae spend months or years inside wood while developing, gorging on bark perhaps, or your favorite rocking chair. But after emerging into daylight their days are numbered, around two weeks tops.
There are several species of midge. Some bite and are vectors of disease. Ironically, those that don't (the small aquatic insects from the family Chironomidae) have the shortest lifespan, no more than five days.
In its 72-hour lifespan, this insect species performs an invaluable service to farmers by attacking the egg, larva, and pupa of bugs that are harmful to crops.
Spiny and cute, the hedgehog, found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and in New Zealand, can live up to three years, but half die in their first year. Since 2002, the species' population in the United Kingdom has declined by 30% due to habitat loss, climate change, and human activity.
Though a wild animal that thrives in a variety of environments around the world, the house mouse is commonly associated with human habitation. The tiny rodent's lifespan averages two years.
The diminutive freshwater mosquitofish is native to North America. It's named for its exclusive diet of mosquito larvae, which it feasts on for the 18 months it's alive.
This species of fire ant is named as such after accidently being introduced in Australia, New Zealand, several Asian and Caribbean countries, and the United States. Know for delivering a painful bite if provoked, the ant has a lifespan of 45-60 days.
Native to sub-Saharan Africa, the tsetse fly lives an average of 14-21 days. The species is known for its ability to spread a range of diseases, including sleeping sickness.
Sources: (Nature) (USA Today) (WHO)
See also: The longest living animals on Earth
Did you know that the shortest lifespan of any known animal is just 24 hours? Or that others are lucky to live beyond five days? The lifespan of some mammals, birds, and insects is astonishingly short, most counted in months rather than years. But these creatures waste not a second getting the best—and worst—out of the fleeting moments they have on Earth.
Click through and discover the wildlife born against the clock.
Animals with the shortest lifespan
Wildlife with limited time on Earth
LIFESTYLE Nature
Did you know that the shortest lifespan of any known animal is just 24 hours? Or that others are lucky to live beyond five days? The lifespan of some mammals, birds, and insects is astonishingly short, most counted in months rather than years. But these creatures waste not a second getting the best—and worst—out of the fleeting moments they have on Earth.
Click through and discover the wildlife born against the clock.