But in cold countries the humidity in animals is
more of a watery nature, and hence is readily congealed.
Consequently it happens that animals with little or no blood are in
northerly regions either entirely absent (both the land animals with
feet and the water creatures whose home is the sea) or, when they do
occur, they are smaller and have shorter life; for the frost
prevents growth.
Both plants and animals perish if not fed, for in that case they
consume themselves; just as a large flame consumes and burns up a
small one by using up its nutriment, so the natural warmth which is
the primary cause of digestion consumes the material in which it is
located.
Water animals have a shorter life than terrestrial creatures, not
strictly because they are humid, but because they are watery, and
watery moisture is easily destroyed, since it is cold and readily
congealed. For the same reason bloodless animals perish readily unless
protected by great size, for there is neither fatness nor sweetness
about them. In animals fat is sweet, and hence bees are longer-lived
than other animals of larger size.
6
It is amongst the plants that we find the longest life-more than
among the animals, for, in the first place, they are less watery and
hence less easily frozen. Further they have an oiliness and a
viscosity which makes them retain their moisture in a form not
easily dried up, even though they are dry and earthy.
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