Ants in Florida have been found to exhibit a unique behavior that scientists have likened to life-saving surgery. In a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers discovered that Florida carpenter ants are capable of identifying limb wounds on their fellow ants and then treating them with either cleaning or amputation. This behavior is only the second known case in the animal kingdom, the first being humans.
The study, led by behavioral ecologist Erik Frank from the University of Würzburg in Germany, aimed to understand how Florida carpenter ants handle wounds in their colony members. Unlike African ants that use antimicrobial substances to treat infections, Florida carpenter ants do not possess similar glands. Therefore, the researchers wanted to investigate how this species deals with injuries, specifically focusing on wounds on the femur and tibia.
During experiments, the researchers observed that ants treated femur injuries by cleaning the wound with their mouths before amputating the leg through repeated biting. On the other hand, tibia injuries were treated with cleaning alone. The results showed a significant improvement in the survival rates of ants with injuries. Survival rates for femur injuries increased from less than 40% to between 90 and 95% with amputations, while survival rates for tibia injuries improved from 15% to 75% with cleaning.
The researchers believe that ants selectively choose to amputate femur injuries due to the time-consuming nature of the process. An amputation can take at least 40 minutes to complete, which may be too slow to stop the spread of infections in tibia injuries. By focusing on cleaning these wounds, the ants can prevent the rapid spread of harmful bacteria.
Through studying micro-CT scans of the ants, the researchers hypothesized that damage to blood-pumping muscles in the femur slows down blood circulation. This delay allows the ants enough time to amputate the limb before bacteria-laden blood can enter the body. In contrast, tibia injuries, which have less muscle tissue, can lead to faster infection spread, making amputation too slow to be effective.
Frank emphasized that the ants’ ability to diagnose, treat, and care for wounds over extended periods without any evidence of learning is a remarkable feat. This innate behavior demonstrates a sophisticated medical system within the ant colony that rivals that of humans.
Moving forward, the researchers plan to expand their investigation to other ant species that lack antimicrobial glands to determine if this surgical behavior is more widespread among ants. This study sheds light on the fascinating world of insect behavior and highlights the complexity of social structures within ant colonies.
