Re: Terrapins: At Well Past 100, They're in the Mood

[Tommy Tyrberg <tommy.tyrberg@norrkoping.mail.telia.com>]

At 15:06 2006-08-22, Patti Kane-Vanni wrote:
> Terrapins: At Well Past 100, They're in the Mood.
> It sounded incredible. A species that can live virtually forever, enjoy 
> sex well into its second century, and bypass menopause completely.

The last is hardly surprising. As far as I know Homo sapiens is the *only* 
species that has a menopause. For example "Grandma", the matriarch of the 
Taiaroa Head albatros colony was still breeding in her sixties.

The menopause most likely marks the point where the probability of 
successfully raising another child to independence is so low that a woman 
can do her inclusive fitness more good by helping her offspring/relatives 
instead.


Tommy Tyrberg