A team of researchers from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland has made the discovery that ants, like humans, are capable of carrying out medical procedures to save their fellows. The results of this study were published in the prestigious scientific publication Current Biology, writes gazeta.ru.
Observations of Florida carpenter ants (Camponotus floridanus) have shown that these insects are able to recognize damage to the limbs of relatives and treat them by cleaning or even amputation. Scientists note that this is the first known example of systematic amputation among insects.
Previously, the same research team discovered that African ants of the species Megaponera analis are able to treat infections in their relatives using an antiseptic substance produced by their glands. However, carpenter ants do not have such glands, which prompted scientists to study their treatment methods in more detail.
Experiments have shown that these insects clean wounds using their mandibles, and in some cases resort to amputation of the damaged limb. Thanks to this treatment, the ant survival rate increased significantly: from less than 40% to 90-95% with amputation and from 15% to 75% with wound treatment.
The researchers emphasize the uniqueness of the discovered ant abilities: “Ants are able to diagnose a wound, determine whether it is infected or sterile, and treat it appropriately over a long period of time with the help of other individuals. The only medical system that can compete with them is the human one”.
Interestingly, this ability is innate in ants, and scientists have found no evidence that insects learn this skill.