Females live 18.6% longer than males on average.

Researchers from the Laboratory of Biology and Evolutionary Biology say that in all human populations, the average life expectancy of women is longer than that of men.

They found that was also true of other mammals after studying 101 species of mammals ranging from bats to lions.

Elephant seals are one of the species where females live longer than males.

The team, led by Jean-François Lemaître, a CNRS researcher, has created the most extensive mammographic demographic study to date. They found that female mammals live 18.6% longer than their partners - 7.8% longer than the distance between humans.

This is a male surrounded by his harem making a cry to mark his territory. Elephant seals are one of the species where females live longer than males.

In the human population, the difference is most pronounced in the oldest living groups - for example, nine out of 10 people with the highest life expectancy - those over 110 years old - are women.

They took this information and examined demographic data for 134 populations of 101 different mammal species.

They also studied orca and gorilla populations as part of the study and in 60% of cases, female mammals live longer than males, the team found. Female mammals live on average 18.6% longer than males - a greater distance in humans.

1. Though showy, the male is still a simple creature
2. The more attractive the female, the higher the ability to conceive