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lupire 9 hours ago

It really is strange how slowly humans grow to full size, and then stop.

Other animals grow in under a year or two, or never stop growing until they die.

How closely is physical size related to mental maturity?

Do other animals mentally mature approximately when they reach full size?

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rsynnott 8 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I'm not sure it's all _that_ unique. Elephants are physically mature at 15 to 20, say, so not that different to humans. Other apes are also similarish to humans in this.

	▲	retrac 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Many cetaceans show similar dependency on their parents. They're also some of the few species where the females undergo menopause, like humans. (Elephants might have menopause, too.) Perhaps not coincidentally, maternal elders are very important for these species, often helping their children and grandchildren for decades after they are born.

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begueradj 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Example of an animal which keeps growing until it dies ?

	▲	skmurphy 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		goldfish, lobster, crocodile, crab, python, shark to name a few. It's referred to as indeterminate growth.