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The Heartbeat Formula
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Film summary
The elephant and shrew might be very different animals, but they share the same number of heartbeats in a lifetime. Discover the formula that can predict wild mammals' lifespans.Transcript
This tiny elephant shrew lives life at a hectic pace.
While its namesake, the elephant, takes things that little bit slower.
Though this odd couple vary in size and lifespan, they share something rather unexpected in common.
Heartbeat and Lifespan
Scientists have discovered that a mammal's lifespan can be accurately predicted based on its heart rate.
Its lifespan in years, a, can be calculated by dividing this constant figure by its heart rate per minute, h.
a = 1902.6 / h
The shrew's tiny heart races at 800 beats a minute.
It will live fast but die young, at around two years old.
In its lifespan, its heart will beat 1 billion times.
The elephant, however, has a huge heart that can weigh up to 20kg.
It beats just 25 times a minute.
The formula correctly reveals that elephants typically live for around three-quarters of a century.
But although it lives more than 30 times longer than the shrew, it will also clock up a billion heartbeats.
Despite the differences between them, the elephant, shrew, and indeed most wild mammals share a common number of heartbeats – 1 billion.
