Take that, physicians with scalpels! Ants are the newest animal competitor in the realm of emergency medicine. A unique behaviour displayed by a particular species of Florida carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus) has been discovered through recent research: they operate on injured nest mates to save their lives. These tiny insects are the only known species, aside from humans, that can perform such intricate medical procedures, according to research that was just published in the journal Current Biology.
The University of Würzburg, Germany’s Dr Erik Frank and his research team were investigating ant wound healing when they happened onto this intriguing phenomenon. They saw that, more frequently than not, healthy nest mates would recover injured ants and return them to the colony. However, what caught them off guard was the subsequent events. The healthy ants would carefully inspect the wounds and then treat them with either amputation of the afflicted limb or a thorough cleaning of their mouthparts.
This seemed to be a very deliberate process of decision-making. The location of the injury and the treatment selected showed an intriguing association that the researchers found. Amputation, with a success rate of about 90–95%, was the recommended course of treatment for injuries on the femur (upper leg portion). With an astonishing survival rate of almost 75%, the ants chose to clean only wounds on the tibia (lower leg segment).
The decision to amputate versus clean seems to be motivated, intriguingly, by a pragmatic comprehension of the ant’s circulatory system. For femur injuries, amputation was preferred since the hemolymph—the insect equivalent of blood—flows more slowly in that area. If infections are not treated, this sluggish flow facilitates their spread throughout the body. In contrast, wounds on the tibia, where hemolymph circulation is quicker, just require cleaning to reduce the risk of infection.
“The ants can identify a wound, see if it’s contaminated or sterile, and treat it accordingly over long periods by other individuals – the only medical system that can rival that would be the human one,” stated Dr Frank in a release. This shows a degree of intelligence hitherto undiscovered in the world of insects—the ability to judge the severity of a wound and select the best treatment.
Many more questions need to be investigated in light of this discovery. What is the precise process by which the ants decide what is the optimal move? Are they fully instinctive in this conduct, or do they have some basic medical knowledge? Further investigation by the research team will determine whether this “ant surgery” is specific to this species or a common occurrence.
The ramifications of this study go well beyond the field of entomology. It forces us to reconsider the cognitive capacities of social insects and provides new perspectives on the intricate social networks that exist inside these colonies. In addition, the ants’ successful wound-healing methods may serve as an inspiration for improvements in human medicine, notably in the area of developing fresh approaches to infection prevention and wound healing.
The next time you witness a row of ants moving across your pavement, keep in mind that they could be a group of extremely talented (and shockingly successful) doctors en route to carry out a crucial procedure!