He has been in Duisburg Zoo for nearly forty years; he arrived there in March 1975. I believe he already holds the longevity record for this species in a zoo.
@Tim, I think the male that died a few years ago probably still has the longevity record, as that animal arrived as an adult already, this animal arrived as a youngster in 1975, so he is about 40 years now. But he probably won't be around anymore after 5 years from now or so...
My earlier comment was typed from memory so I didn’t provide a reference. However, since you queried it, I checked in Longevity of Mammals in Captivity from the Living Collections of the World (Richard Weigl; 2005). This book lists three long-lived individuals of this species. The longest living specimen listed in this book died in Pittsburgh Zoo after living there for thirty-one years three months. However, this book also records that two males, which arrived at Duisburg Zoo on 16th March 1975, were both still alive on 29th October 2004 after twenty-nine years seven months. One of these is individuals is still living after thirty-nine years seven months so that must surely hold the longevity record in captivity.
The individual now alive for sure holds the longevity record for the species in captivity, but I do not know whether it has surpassed the age of the animal that died in 2006, as that one arrived as an adult and not as a youngster in Duisburg.
Sadly, I doubt that any zoo in Europe or North America would take on the challenge, but it does look as if this is a species capable of being acclimatised in zoos. Maybe somebody in Singapore, China or Japan would feel differently.
Agreed entirely; depending on the age the other dolphin was when it arrived in Duisburg then, of course, it could well have been older when it died than this one is now. My original post was referring to the longest lifespan in captivity not the absolute age of the animal. Yes, I suspect that when this dolphin dies we’ll never see another of this species in Europe.
If these monkeys will live for at least one year from now, chances of getting females from Singapore (if available) are quite good....
