Discover the world's oldest wild golden eagle

Animals died about six weeks before being discovered with many wounds found in the skull.

The world's oldest wild golden eagle died at the age of 33 on a hillside in Sutherland, north Scotland, the BBC reported on August 27. Animals are most likely killed in a territorial defense battle six weeks earlier.

The average life span of golden eagles in nature is 13 years.(Photo: Times).

The 33-year-old male eagle was first known in 1985. Bird researcher Roy Dennis found it on a bird nest in Inverness, in the Scottish highlands when he just hatched. The animal was attached to the tracking ring with the ZZ0005 number, so that the scientists could identify the animal despite its decay.

The team is not sure of the cause of the death of the world's most endangered wild eagle. The examination revealed many cracks in the skull, so it was more likely that the animal was killed by another younger male eagle during the territorial war. However, the research team did not rule out the possibility of starvation or the effects of age.

Earlier, the world's longest- lived wild-eagle gold record belonged to a 32-year-old eagle in Sweden. The oldest individual ever recorded in Scotland only lived for 16 years. The average age of golden eagles in nature is 13 years.