This question cannot be answered as is:
What is the ratio of males to femals in the steady state population of 24,000?
Are we to assume that this discussion relates ONLY to females that equates to only 50% (12,000) of the poplulation or what?
Sheesh...stupid problems from even more stupid teachers.
G
If the animals have an average lifespan of ten years, then on average 1/10 of the population will die off each year. If the population is stable, that means an average number of yearly births also equal to 1/10 of the population. It doesn't matter--at least not over a thousand-year timespan--whether the average lifespan of ten years is a result of every animal dying precisely on its tenth birthday, or if it's a result of 99% of animals dying on their ninth birthday while 1% make it to age 109.