A recent study appears to show the first documented case of a species other than humans performing surgery. Ants have been observed amputating the injured limbs of their nestmates.
In his 11 years studying ant behavior, biologist Erik Frank had never seen anything like it. He and his colleagues at the University of Würzburg brought Florida carpenter ants back to their lab in Germany to learn how they respond to injury. Most ant species treat the injured or severed limb of a comrade by coating it with an antimicrobial goo. But the reddish-brown carpenter ants took a different tack: They bit the remainder of the limb off, effectively amputating it.
Ants typically have glands that produce antimicrobial compounds to fend off infections, but the Florida carpenter ant has lost this gland over time. In its place, these ants utilize this surgical technique to treat injuries and prevent subsequent infections.
Like their hierarchical social structure, amputation is another one of the surprising ways that ants have evolved "sophisticated behaviors" very similar to humans, [ant biology researcher at Rockefeller University] Kronauer says. "It's like retrieving injured soldiers from the battlefield and then treating them."
It's hard not to imagine a little ant field hospital following this description. Although it is anthropomorphizing to an extreme degree, it is consistent with the societal structure of an ant colony.
Previously: Watch ants drink from a drop of red nectar in this captivating video
