Carpenter Ants Perform Amputations and Wound Cleaning to Save Lives: A Groundbreaking Discovery

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have found that Florida carpenter ants possess the ability to perform amputations and clean wounds to prevent infection from spreading. These ants are capable of performing life-saving surgery on their fellow ants, making them the second animal after humans to have this capability.

The research, published in Current Biology, found that Florida carpenter ants can identify wounds on their nestmates’ legs and then treat them by cleaning or amputating as needed. According to study lead author Erik Frank, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Würzburg in Germany, this is the only case in the animal kingdom where one individual performs complex amputations on another member of the same species.

The study focused on two types of leg wounds – thigh lacerations and leg lacerations – to understand how these ants treat them. The researchers observed that ants cleaned thigh lacerations by using their mouths and then amputated the leg by biting repeatedly. In contrast, they only cleaned leg lacerations. The surgery improved the survival rate of patients significantly, with thigh lacerations increasing from less than 40% to 90-95% after amputation and leg lacerations from 15% to 75% after cleaning.

Furthermore, researchers discovered that these ants prioritize amputating thigh wounds over all leg wounds due to the time it takes to complete the amputation process. By amputating limbs with damage to the thigh pumping muscles, these ants slow blood circulation, preventing the spread of infection. This innate ability to recognize and treat wounds in ants is not learned behavior.

Researchers are now investigating if other ant species without special antibacterial glands also have this ability to perform surgery.

This discovery has significant implications for understanding how animals communicate and respond in times of crisis. It also raises questions about how humans can learn from nature’s healing abilities and develop new medical techniques for treating injuries more effectively.

In conclusion, this study shows that even small creatures like carpenter ants possess remarkable skills and abilities that we can learn from them. As researchers continue their investigation into this topic, we may discover even more amazing capabilities that these creatures have developed over millions of years of evolution.