How Old Do Whales Live To Be?

There's a lot of uncertainty.

Toothed whales can be dated by growth rings in their teeth (bit like tree rings).  From this data, it looks like the smaller species (Beluga, dolphins, porpoises) probably live 20-40 years in the wild.  Pilot whales and Killer whales (Orca) 60 years old and older have been observed in the wild.

Sadly, these smaller whale species don't fare so well in captivity.  They have lifespans about half their potential.  It is harder to keep conditions just right for them.

Larger whales typically don't have teeth, but rather baleen (like massive plates of thin teeth in the back of their mouths that filter sea water for tiny creatures to eat).  It's harder to figure out how old these animals are (and it doesn't help that many of them are so rare, anyway).  But it looks like they can easily live 40-90 years, which we can partly tell by the old harpoon scars some carry.

The natural lifespan of at least one species is up to 200 years (Bowhead whales).

My research says they can live up to 40-60 years. Whales are aged by growth rings on there teeth!!