Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-24303732-20140226074602/@comment-24589685-20140228072412

In my head-canon, at least, Orsimer wisewomen, and maybe forgewives, and *definitely* those Orsimer who leave behind their traditional way of life, tend to live lifespans closer to those of Bosmer or Dunmer, since in those roles  their usefulness / value to the tribe or stronghold or clan grows with age rather than diminishes with time (as is the case with warriors and hunters), and they don't face the regular violence other orcs do. And given that age/wisdom makes them "stronger", the honour of ensuring they don't outlive their value to their stronghold wouldn't become an issue nearly as early.

And we DO know that the natural lifespan of an Orsimer is very long. Like we can conclude from the age of the books that have been preserved under Urag gro-Shub's tenure as head of the Arcaneum that he's at least a couple hundred years old.

It makes sense, really. Orsimer are a mer race, so they'd have a natural lifespan typical of mer. But because their lives are much more rough and violent than those of most dunmer and altmer, they'd tend to die in battle, or during a hunt, or something else, before ever getting to reach anywhere near their natural life expectancy. And as we know, if an Orc warrior DOES begin to age to the point that they're no longer in their prime and start facing the risk of becoming more of a burden on their people than a value, they choose to actively seek a good death.