Is the key to a long life a big heart?

STUDENTS sitting this year’s Leaving Certificate biology exam were asked: “Herbivores in an eco-system normally live longer lives – true or false?”.

People in our part of the world who eat too much meat and not enough fruit and vegetables die younger as a result but is it the same for other animals?

In his Mammals of Britain and Europe, David MacDonald gives life-span estimates for the furry creatures around us.