🥛 Elephant milk
Milk that "grows up" along with the calf.
Elephant milk is the milk of the female elephant, on which the calf feeds for several years. Elephants nurse their calves for a very long time: according to the review in the study by Dierenfeld and colleagues (2020), lactation in elephants usually lasts from 2 to 8 years and often ends only with the birth of the next calf. Over this time the milk’s composition changes noticeably — it could be called milk that “grows up” with the calf.
According to the data the authors cite, the fat content of Asian elephant milk rises from about 7.6–8.3% early in lactation to 15–18% at 18–30 months, while sugars decline over time. In the study itself, carried out on working elephants in Myanmar in late lactation, average fat content was about 15%, and solids and protein increased with every month of nursing.
Orphaned elephant calves are hand-reared in nurseries on special formulas, and this kind of data is exactly what matters for their composition. People do not use elephant milk: interest in it is tied to the conservation and care of elephants in captivity.
Composition per 100 g
| Fat | 15.1 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4.9 g | |
| Lactose | 3.4 g | |
| Energy | 169 kcal | |
| Calcium | no data |
Average values. Values vary a lot with breed, season, feed and stage of lactation. The bar shows the share of the maximum within this group of milks.
Sources: Zhang et al. 2018 (по Jensen 1995), Dierenfeld et al. 2020
How it connects to milk
🥛 Elephant milk → type of → 🥛 Milk
Links
- Whose milk
- 🐘 Elephant cow
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- 🥛 Milk
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- 🔬 Milk of other animals
Frequently asked questions
How long do elephant calves drink milk?
Usually for several years: elephant lactation lasts from 2 to 8 years, although the calf starts trying plant food much earlier.
Why does elephant milk change in composition?
As the calf grows, the fat content of the milk roughly doubles and sugars decline — the milk adjusts to the calf’s needs.
Similar
🥛 Llama milk · 🥛 Alpaca milk · 🥛 Musk ox milk · 🥛 Pig milk · 🥛 Polar bear milk · 🥛 Seal milk
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.