Chimps’ baby teeth don’t predict weaning

Even after their first molars emerge, the apes continue to suckle

Contrary to scientists’ prior beliefs, the age at which a chimpanzee gets its first permanent molar tooth doesn’t predict when the ape will stop nursing and start eating solid foods. The finding could alter the way anthropologists think about how ancient hominid infants matured.

BABY TEETH This 3.1-year-old