Age Of Sexual Maturity

Sexual maturity is often synonymous with adulthood. The age of sexual maturity is the stage in life when an organism can reproduce. It is often related to both puberty and adulthood, especially in humans. But in animals, sexual maturity signifies the full capacity of reproduction, which can happen several months after the onset of puberty.

Variations in Puberty and Sexual Maturity in Animals

An animal reaches puberty when it can release gametes, either sperm in males or ovum in females, and has complete sexual behavior. Every species reaches puberty and sexual maturity at different ages. For instance, cats reach puberty at eight to ten months, while crocodiles takes 12 to 16 years to reach full sexual maturity. While humans tend to take longer than most animals to mature, some animals, like elephants, can take just as long at around 16 to 17 years, which is also when they become independent.

What Animals Have the Longest Time to Sexual Maturity?

While most animals mature within six months to several years, several animals take much longer. The Greenland shark is by far the vertebrate with the longest lifespan, with reports of its taking 150 years or more to fully mature. Elephants can take 16 to 17 years to sexually mature and blue whales reach maturity between five and 15 years.

What Animals Have the Shortest Time to Sexual Maturity?

Dogs, cats, and livestock can take less than a year to reach maturity, but there are some creatures that take even less time. The gastrotrich, an almost microscopic aquatic organism, lives its entire life within a week, reaching sexual maturity in just three days.