MitoAge

Order

Cetacea

29 species in 10 families. Maximum lifespan ranges from 17 years (Pygmy sperm whale) to 211 years (Bowhead whale).

Show in the tree Compare mtDNA
Species
29
with a complete mtDNA
Lifespan range
17–211 yr
Longest: Bowhead whale
Median GC
40.2%
Range 38.5–43.2%
Families
10
Largest: Delphinidae (10)

The Cetacea tree

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Outer ring: Maximum lifespan, log scale

Each ring is one rank. Scroll or use + and − to zoom, drag to move; select a group to zoom into it, a species to open it.

Families of Cetacea

10 families, by species count

Where Cetacea sit among 2,335 species

Whole-genome GC content against maximum lifespan. Hover or tap a point; select it again to open the species.

10203040501 yr10 yr100 yrMaximum lifespan, log scaleGC %
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  • Cetacea (29)
  • Other species

Longest-lived

Top 5 and the shortest-lived
  1. Bowhead whaleBalaena mysticetus211 yr
  2. Fin whaleBalaenoptera physalus114 yr
  3. Blue whaleBalaenoptera musculus110 yr
  4. Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliae95 yr
  5. Killer whaleOrcinus orca90 yr
  6. Pygmy sperm whaleKogia breviceps17 yr

What tracks lifespan in Cetacea

Top 10 of 198 mtDNA features by |ρ| · 12 with q < 0.05
FeaturenrρqPIC rPartial r
Homopolymer runs >= 5 bp in the whole mtDNA (count)28−0.63−0.690.022−0.33−0.08
Homopolymer runs >= 5 bp in the major arc (count)28−0.62−0.670.022−0.30−0.11
AT skew of ND3Strand skew28+0.57+0.640.028+0.52−0.09
CCA codon frequency in all protein-coding genes (% of codons)Codon28+0.61+0.620.022+0.29+0.20
GUA codon frequency in all protein-coding genes (% of codons)Codon28+0.56+0.590.032+0.09−0.12
Cys (C) frequency in all protein-coding genes (% of sense codons)Amino acid28+0.44+0.590.126+0.20−0.27
GC skew of COX1Strand skew28−0.60−0.590.022−0.36+0.05
Gln (Q) frequency in all protein-coding genes (% of sense codons)Amino acid28−0.55−0.560.040−0.19−0.21
Trp (W) frequency in all protein-coding genes (% of sense codons)Amino acid28+0.51+0.550.072+0.51−0.09
GGC codon frequency in all protein-coding genes (% of codons)Codon28+0.41+0.540.143+0.36−0.13

Lifespan is log10-transformed. r is the Pearson and ρ the Spearman rank correlation across species. q corrects the p-value for testing 198 features at once (Benjamini–Hochberg); green marks q < 0.05.

PIC r uses phylogenetically independent contrasts, so related species do not count as independent evidence. Partial r holds log10 body mass constant, because big animals live longer. Bold values have p < 0.05. Select a feature to plot it against lifespan.

Species in Cetacea

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29 species

Balaena mysticetusBowhead whaleBalaenidae211 yr16,390 bp41.31%
Balaenoptera physalusFin whaleBalaenopteridae114 yr16,398 bp40.59%
Balaenoptera musculusBlue whaleBalaenopteridae110 yr16,402 bp40.65%
Megaptera novaeangliaeHumpback whaleBalaenopteridae95 yr16,398 bp40.77%
Orcinus orcaKiller whaleDelphinidae90 yr16,392 bp39.71%
Berardius bairdiiBaird's beaked whaleHyperoodontidae84 yr16,346 bp40.35%
Eschrichtius robustusGray whaleEschrichtiidae77 yr16,412 bp41.31%
Balaenoptera borealisSei whaleBalaenopteridae74 yr16,410 bp40.42%
Balaenoptera edeniBryde's whaleBalaenopteridae72 yr16,409 bp40.50%
Eubalaena australisSouthern right whaleBalaenidae70 yr16,385 bp41.22%
Globicephala macrorhynchusShort-finned pilot whaleDelphinidae63 yr16,390 bp38.88%
Pseudorca crassidensFalse killer whaleDelphinidae62.5 yr16,392 bp38.90%
Ziphius cavirostrisCuvier's beaked whaleHyperoodontidae62 yr16,349 bp39.62%
Globicephala melasLong-finned pilot whaleDelphinidae60 yr16,390 bp38.90%
Stenella coeruleoalbaStriped dolphinDelphinidae57.5 yr16,384 bp38.82%
Tursiops truncatusBottlenosed dolphinDelphinidae51.6 yr16,388 bp38.92%
Balaenoptera acutorostrataCommon minke whaleBalaenopteridae50 yr16,417 bp40.42%
Monodon monocerosNarwhalMonodontidae50 yr16,383 bp40.18%
Mesoplodon europaeusGervais's beaked whaleHyperoodontidae48 yr16,343 bp38.52%
Peponocephala electraMelon-headed whaleDelphinidae47 yr16,388 bp39.14%

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