Animal Milks Humans Have Consumed Around the World
Most people in the modern world think of cow milk when they think of dairy. But humans have milked at least a dozen different animal species across history, and several of those traditions are still very much alive today — from the fermented mare's milk drunk across the Central Asian steppe to the extraordinarily rich reindeer milk of the Arctic north.
Why humans milk so many different animals
The choice of dairy animal has always been driven by geography, climate, culture, and practicality. Cattle are the dominant dairy animal in the temperate zones of Europe, North America, and much of South America — regions where pasture is reliable and cattle thrive. But cattle are poorly suited to the Tibetan plateau, the Sahara, the Mongolian steppe, or the Arctic tundra. In those environments, humans domesticated the animals that could survive: yak at altitude, camel in the desert, horse on the steppe, reindeer in the north.
The result is a map of dairy traditions as diverse as the world's climates. In each case, the milk reflects both the animal and its environment. Reindeer milk is extraordinarily high in fat because reindeer calves must gain weight rapidly during a short Arctic summer. Camel milk is relatively dilute in fat but is among the most important foods in desert-dwelling communities where few alternatives exist. Donkey milk has a protein structure closer to human milk than any other animal's, which is why ancient Rome and Greece used it as an infant supplement.
Composition comparison — all 12 animal milks
These figures are approximate ranges from published research and USDA data. Composition varies by breed, feed, lactation stage, and season. Values marked † are from limited research on non-commercial animals.
| Animal | Fat | Protein | Lactose | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reindeer | ~11–21% | ~9.9% | ~2.5–3% | Not commercial |
| Water Buffalo | 6–9% | 3.6–4.5% | 4.5–5.0% | Regional/commercial |
| Yak | 5.5–9% | 4.0–5.9% | 4.0–5.9% | Regional |
| Sheep | 5.5–7.5% | 5.5–6.5% | ~4.8% | Regional/commercial |
| Goat | ~4.1% | ~3.6% | ~4.5% | Widely available |
| Cow | 3.0–4.5% | 3.2–3.5% | 4.5–5.0% | Worldwide commodity |
| Camel | 2.5–5.5% | 3.0–3.8% | 3.3–5.8% | Specialist/regional |
| Llama † | 2.7–4.7% | ~4.0–4.4% | 5.9–6.5% | Not commercial |
| Alpaca † | Varies by study | Varies by study | Varies | Not commercial |
| Horse (Mare) | 1–2% | 2.0–2.7% | 5.8–7.0% | Specialist/regional |
| Donkey | 0.3–1.8% | 1.5–1.8% | 5.8–7.4% | Specialist |
| Bison † | ~1.7% | ~4.8% | ~5.7–6.0% | Experimental only |
† Limited published research from non-commercial animals. Values from specific study samples, not commercial averages.
The major dairy animals
🐄 Cow Milk
The world's dominant dairy commodity, accounting for roughly 80% of global milk production by volume. Holstein-Friesians produce the highest volumes; Jerseys produce the richest milk.
🦬 Water Buffalo Milk
The world's second most consumed animal milk. India is the largest producer. Buffalo milk is the legally protected base for Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO in southern Italy.
🐐 Goat Milk
The primary dairy source for large populations across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Naturally homogenised — it lacks the agglutinin protein that causes fat to separate in cow milk.
🐑 Sheep Milk
Richest of the mainstream dairy milks. One litre of sheep milk yields approximately 250g of cheese versus 100g from cow milk — which is why Roquefort, Manchego, and Pecorino use it.
🐪 Camel Milk
A critical food source in desert environments where cattle cannot survive. Does not coagulate with standard rennet. Lacks beta-lactoglobulin, making it structurally different from bovine milk.
🦬 Yak Milk
The foundation of Tibetan butter tea (po cha) — a salted, churned preparation consumed daily at altitude. Yaks produce milk at elevations above 5,000m where dairy cattle cannot survive.
The unusual dairy animals
Beyond the six mainstream dairy species above, humans have milked at least six more animals — some in traditional contexts that persist to this day, others experimentally.
🐴 Horse (Mare) Milk
Fermented into kumis — the ancient dairy beverage of the Central Asian steppe. The Botai people of Kazakhstan were milking horses at least 5,500 years ago. Higher in lactose than cow milk.
🫏 Donkey Milk
The animal milk most similar in protein structure to human breast milk. Used as an infant supplement in ancient Rome and Greece. The world's most expensive cheese — pule, made in Serbia from 60% donkey milk and 40% goat's milk — is made primarily from it.
🦌 Reindeer Milk
Among the richest animal milks in the world. Fat rises from ~11% at mid-lactation to ~20% at late lactation. Milked by Sami herders in traditional contexts; not commercially produced.
🦬 Bison Milk
Surprisingly lower in fat than typical Holstein cow milk — counter to the common assumption that wild animals produce richer milk. Higher in protein and lactose than most cow breeds.
🦙 Llama Milk
Produced in very small quantities to nurse a single cria. Fat values differ substantially between studies — ranging from 2.7% (US study) to 4.7% (European controlled study). Not commercially produced.
🦙 Alpaca Milk
Rarely milked because production is extremely small and alpacas are primarily raised for fibre. Published research shows substantial variation in composition between populations.
What determines why an animal gets milked?
Not every animal that produces milk ends up being milked by humans at scale. The animals that do share a few common characteristics: they can be domesticated or at least managed reliably; they produce more milk than their offspring alone require; they can be milked without prohibitive danger; and the milk they produce has useful culinary properties.
Bison, for example, meet some of these criteria but not all. They have been domesticated to a limited degree through beefalo crossbreeding, and some experimental cheese and butter production exists. But adult bison are dangerous, difficult to handle, produce far less milk than dairy cattle, and their milk yield decreases rapidly when stressed. These factors explain why bison dairy remains experimental rather than commercial — not because the milk isn't interesting, but because the practicalities are formidable.
Reindeer present different constraints. They have been herded by Arctic peoples for millennia, and milking them is a documented traditional practice. But production windows are short, yields are very low, and the whole enterprise requires expertise and proximity to a herd that most of the world cannot replicate. The milk itself — extraordinarily rich in fat and protein — reflects a biological system optimised for rapid calf growth, not sustained human extraction.
The result is a spectrum from "worldwide commodity produced in hundreds of millions of tonnes" (cow milk) to "experimentally produced in a handful of locations" (bison) to "traditional practice surviving in specific cultural contexts" (reindeer, yak, horse, camel) to "primarily raised for other purposes with occasional milking" (alpaca, llama).
Kumis — the fermented animal milk of the steppe
One of the most significant animal milk traditions in the Milkapedia collection deserves its own mention: kumis, the fermented mare's milk that sustained the nomadic peoples of the Central Asian steppe. Unlike the major fermented dairy products of the West (yogurt, kefir, cultured buttermilk), kumis is made from horse milk — not cow milk — and involves a dual fermentation by both lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, producing a mildly alcoholic beverage (0.7–2.5% ABV).
The Franciscan friar William of Rubruck described kumis in 1253 after visiting the Mongol court of Möngke Khan. Leo Tolstoy undertook a famous kumis cure in the 1860s to treat his tuberculosis. Today kumis is still produced and consumed across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Bashkortostan in Russia — a continuous dairy tradition stretching back at least 5,500 years to the Botai people of the northern Kazakh steppe.
All 12 animal milk entries
Sources & methodology
Composition figures in the comparison table are drawn from peer-reviewed research and USDA data cited in each individual Milkapedia entry. Key sources for claims specific to this guide:
- FAO — Dairy Animals Overview — Basis for global production share and species distribution claims
- PMC — Comparative Milk Composition Study — Peer-reviewed source for bison milk composition (1.7% fat, lower than cow milk)
- PubMed — Gjøstein et al. 2004 — Reindeer milk composition and lactation stage variation (mean 15.5% fat, range 11–21%)
- PMC — Donkey Milk Composition Review (2025) — Basis for donkey milk protein structure similarity to human breast milk
- PMC — Mare's Milk Review — Basis for horse milk composition and Botai milking evidence (5,500 years ago)
- Pule cheese claims: Forbes (February 2018), World Record Academy certification, Wikipedia Pule cheese article with primary citations