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Orangutans breastfeed for six and a half years, the longest among mammals

Phys · · 361 words · By The Graduate University; SOKENDAI
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What to know about Orangutans breastfeed for six and a half years, the longest among mammals

A study published in Communications Biology used fecal proteomics to determine that wild Bornean orangutans continue breastfeeding until at least six and a half years of age. The research suggests this prolonged period supports offspring survival and explains the slow population recovery of the endangered species.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Orangutans breastfeed for six and a half years, the longest among mammals Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor Orangutans have one of the slowest life histories among mammals, and a new study now shows just how long orangutan mothers…

Why it matters

An international team has demonstrated that wild orangutan juveniles keep consuming their mother's milk continuously until at least six and a half years of age, confirming one of the longest breastfeeding periods known among mammals.

Common ground

The findings are published in the journal Communications Biology.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

A study published in Communications Biology used fecal proteomics to determine that wild Bornean orangutans continue breastfeeding until at least six and a half years of age. The research suggests this prolonged period supports offspring survival and explains the slow population recovery of the endangered species.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-orangutans-breastfeed-years-longest-mammals.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
verified Verified 1
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “wild orangutan juveniles keep consuming their mother's milk continuously until at least six and a half years of age”
CORROBORATED
Three separate web search results explicitly state that wild orangutan juveniles consume mother's milk continuously until at least 6.5 years of age.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... An international team has demonstrated that wild orangutan juveniles keep consuming their mother's milk continuously until at least six and ...
https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/orangutan…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... The research, published in the journal Communications Biology, shows that wild orangutan juveniles consume their mother's milk continuously ...
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/orangu…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 30, 2026 ... Wild orangutans nurse their offspring for at least 6.5 years, one of the longest breastfeeding periods known among mammals.
https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-know-how-long-…
info
Claim 2: “Previous studies using stable isotopes or trace elements such as nitrogen or barium had suggested inconsistent breastfeeding patterns in orangutans”
SINGLE SOURCE
While one source explicitly mentions that previous studies using stable isotopes (nitrogen/barium) suggested inconsistent patterns, other search results discuss isotopes in general but do not specifically confirm the 'inconsistent' conclusion regarding breastfeeding patterns in this context.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Previous studies using stable isotopes or trace elements such as nitrogen or barium had suggested inconsistent breastfeeding patterns in orangutans and could not clearly separate signals of breast mil…
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-orangutans-breastfeed-years-lo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — We applied stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses to wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) to investigate the feeding ecology of wild orangutans. Compared with African great ape species,…
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9804541/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — This research explores factors that contributed to a short to absent period of breastfeeding in pre-modern Netherlands. Sta-ble nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis is undertaken on 277 19th century i…
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/jo…
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Claim 3: “Milk-specific proteins were detected in all 20 samples from individuals aged under six and a half years”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that milk-specific proteins were detected in all 20 samples from individuals under 6.5 years old.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Evaporated milk, known in some countries as "unsweetened condensed milk", is a shelf-stable canned cow’s milk product, consisting of fresh milk from which approximately 60% of the water has been remov…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporated_milk
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Milk is usually a white liquid food (but can be shades of yellow, cream, pink, or brown) produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals be…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Oat milk is a plant milk derived from whole oat (Avena spp.) grains by extracting the plant material with water. Oat milk has a creamy texture and mild oatmeal-like flavor, and is manufactured in vari…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oat_milk
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “researchers used a technique called fecal proteomics, which identifies specific proteins in feces”
VERIFIED
The definition of fecal proteomics as a technique to identify proteins in feces is confirmed across multiple scientific and commercial sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Indeed, most proteins in this study were successfully identified with the reference proteome of the rhesus macaque, when the sequence was not available for the Japanese macaque.Detection of large frag…
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8360081/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Proteomics analysis results. Fecal proteomics can be applied on large scale, analyzing thousands of proteins across thousands of samples in a high-throughput mode. We also offer highly multiplexed tar…
https://www.creative-proteomics.com/ngpro/fecal-proteomics-s…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The investigation was able to identify proteins in bovine faeces that had been (i) produced by the individual cattle, (ii) present in the barley-based feed eaten by the cattle or (iii) produced by bac…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350076321_Fecal_pro…
info
Claim 5: “Nur Syamimi Makbul et al, Continuous and prolonged breastfeeding in wild Bornean orangutans verified with fecal proteomics, Communications Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-026-09968-2”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the study's existence and journal are corroborated, the specific citation details (Author Nur Syamimi Makbul, 2026, and the exact DOI) were not explicitly listed in the provided evidence snippets, although the study's content matches.
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Claim 6: “Orangutans breastfeed for six and a half years, the longest among mammals”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources (Earth.com, Keith King, and other news snippets) report that orangutans breastfeed for 6.5 years and that this is one of the longest known periods among mammals.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 · Orangutans have one of the longest breastfeeding periods among mammals, new study finds. View of Danum Valley in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/orangu…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Aug 26, 2025 · Orangutan mothers nurse their young for longer than any other primate on Earth – more than eight years in some cases! Although orangutan fathers ...
https://www.facebook.com/orangutanssos/posts/orangutans-brea…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 5, 2026 · ... six and a half years, establishing one of the longest known nursing periods among all mammals. The discovery provides important new insight ...
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/keith-king-03a172128_oranguta…
help
Claim 7: “the more milk a juvenile consumes, the stronger its biological defenses and the higher the presence of probiotic intestinal bacteria”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support the claim regarding biological defenses and probiotic bacteria.
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Claim 8: “The findings are published in the journal Communications Biology.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the study was published in the journal Communications Biology.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 25, 2026 ... Orangutans have a slow life history with one of the longest interbirth intervals and the lowest reported infant mortality rates among ...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-09968-2
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A new study published at the end of May in the scientific journal Communications Biology showed that orangutans in the tropical forests of Borneo, ...
https://www.projetogap.org/en/news/study-demonstrates-long-b…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... Orangutans have one of the slowest life histories among mammals, and a new study now shows just how long orangutan mothers continue to ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-orangutans-breastfeed-years-lo…
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Claim 9: “The team applied fecal proteomics to fecal samples from wild Bornean orangutans in the Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the application of fecal proteomics to wild Bornean orangutans in the Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... In this study, researchers used a technique called fecal proteomics, which identifies specific proteins in feces. Because orangutan milk ...
https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/orangutan…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... They used a technique known as faecal proteomics, which identifies specific proteins in faeces. Orangutan milk contains several proteins that ...
https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/orangu…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — They used a technique known as fecal proteomics, which identifies specific proteins in feces. Orangutan milk contains several proteins that are not present in ...
https://www.projetogap.org/en/news/study-demonstrates-long-b…
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Claim 10: “Over a two-year, seven-month period, they collected fecal samples from identified individuals.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the collection period of two years and seven months (or 31 months) from identified individuals.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2026 ... The team applied fecal proteomics to fecal samples from wild Bornean orangutans in the Danum Valley Conservation Area in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-orangutans-breastfeed-years-lo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 ... These results indicate that a continuous and long breastfeeding period is a key component of the slow life history of orangutans and shows that ...
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/405247117_Continuou…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Over a two-year, seven-month period, they collected fecal samples from identified individuals. Milk-specific proteins were detected in all 20 samples from ...
https://phys.org/visualstories/2026-05-orangutans-breastfeed…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.