A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits

Abstract

Longevity is a major characteristic of animals that has long fascinated scientists. In this work, we present a comprehensive database of animal longevity records and related life-history traits entitled AnAge, which we compiled and manually curated from an extensive literature. AnAge started as a collection of longevity records, but has since been expanded to include quantitative data for numerous other life-history traits, including body masses at different developmental stages, reproductive data such as age at sexual maturity and measurements of reproductive output, and physiological traits related to metabolism. AnAge features over 4000 vertebrate species and is a central resource for applying the comparative method to studies of longevity and life-history evolution across the tree of life. Moreover, by providing a reference value for longevity and other life-history traits, AnAge can prove valuable to a broad range of biologists working in evolutionary biology, ecology, zoology, physiology and conservation biology. AnAge is freely available online (http://genomics.senescence.info/species/).