Researchers have discovered that Florida carpenter ants possess an incredible medical ability. These ants are capable of performing life-saving surgery on their fellow ants by amputating limbs and cleaning wounds to prevent infection from spreading. This makes them the second animal in the world, after humans, known to perform such complex surgery.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, was led by lead author Erik Frank, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Würzburg in Germany. Frank found that Florida carpenter ants identify wounds on the legs of their nestmates and then treat them by either cleaning or amputating. This unique behavior is unheard of in the animal kingdom, where amputation is typically performed systematically on another member of the same species.
The research was prompted by a previous study in 2023 that found African ants could treat infected wounds with antibacterial compounds. Since Florida carpenter ants lack similar glands, Frank’s team wanted to understand how they care for their injured fellow ants. Through experiments, they observed how the ants treated different types of leg wounds, showing that amputations significantly increased the survival rate of patients.
Interestingly, the study revealed that the ants only amputated thigh wounds rather than leg wounds due to limitations in speed. The time it takes to amputate a limb allows for bacteria-laden blood to circulate and spread infection. By focusing on amputating thigh wounds, where blood flow is slower, the ants can prevent spreading infection more effectively.
Frank explained that the ants’ ability to diagnose and treat wounds is innate and not learned behavior. The researchers are now expanding their investigation to other species of ants to see if this surgical behavior is present in ants that lack special antibacterial glands. This discovery highlights the remarkable medical capabilities of ants, resembling human medical systems in some aspects.
Overall, this study provides valuable insights into how animals can develop medical abilities beyond what we thought possible for non-humans. It also raises questions about how we can apply these findings to help humans improve our own medical capabilities and treatments for injuries and illnesses.
