We fit ongoing 40+-year mark-recapture databases from the thriving southern right whale (SRW), Eubalaena australis , and highly endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW), Eubalaena glacialis , to candidate survival models to estimate their life spans. Median life span for SRW was 73.4 years, with 10% of individuals surviving past 131.8 years. NARW life spans were likely anthropogenically shortened, with a median life span of just 22.3 years, and 10% of individuals living past 47.2 years. In the context of extreme longevity recently documented in other whale species, we suggest that all balaenid and perhaps most great whales have an unrecognized potential for great longevity that has been masked by the demographic disruptions of industrial whaling. This unrecognized longevity has profound implication for basic biology and conservation of whales.

中文翻译：

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极长寿可能是 Balaenid 鲸的规则，而不是例外


我们将来自繁荣的南方露脊鲸 （SRW） Eubalaena australis 和高度濒危的北大西洋露脊鲸 （NARW） Eubalaena glacialis 的持续 40+ 年标记再捕获数据库拟合到候选生存模型，以估计它们的寿命。SRW 的中位寿命为 73.4 年，其中 10% 的个体存活超过 131.8 年。NARW 的寿命可能在人为方面缩短了，中位寿命仅为 22.3 年，10% 的个体寿命超过 47.2 年。在最近记录的其他鲸鱼物种极长寿的背景下，我们认为所有 balaenid 鲸鱼，也许是大多数大鲸鱼都具有未被认识到的长寿潜力，而这种潜力已被工业捕鲸的人口结构破坏所掩盖。这种未被认识的长寿对基础生物学和鲸鱼的保护具有深远的影响。