Quote:
Originally Posted by DamianJ
None.
Are humans the only mammals that think they need to drink milk?
Do any others do it?
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This is a common vegetarian question to kind of attempt to fuck with omnivores. Yeah I know many vegetarians also eat dairy but you know what I mean, perhaps vegans.
OK technically humans are the only "mammals" that drink milk in the way humans drink it - Will get back to that latter. They not are the only that "think" it though. Most all baby versions of mammals drink milk and seek it out. Kittens drink milk, cats will drink it but they are technically lactose intolerant like most adult mammals. So yes many mammals think they need to drink it.
Humans more than likely started drinking milk when they moved from hunter gather tribes to an agricultural based type of tribe. Many actually think and are more than likely correct that we started off lactose intolerant as a whole. Agricultural societies then changed that. Again some think that those that are lactose intolerant today joined the agricultural folks much latter in the course of human existence. Those that are not were those that began to grow crops, herd animals, and stay in one place earlier.
Now back to your question again.
Technically humans are the only species to do lots of things though. Then we also share a few talents with as little as 1 species which include making their own food from another product - which we share with bee's. Now that is out of the way we shall head over to female barbary macaques (a primate) who for whatever reason drink their own breast milk, by choice if they loose a baby or when grieving. (well not for whatever reason, breast feeding reduces stress by releasing a chemical into the females body).
Then going back to other species. There are assorted breeds of ants that have their favorite type of plant and on it they selectively allow so many aphids to live, even though aphids kill plants. The reason for this though is so those ants can harvest the milk from the aphids to consume.