AMPUTATIONS
- ENVIRONMENT
News: Florida carpenter
ants perform life-saving amputations
What's
in the news?
●
Recently,
Scientists have discovered that the Florida
carpenter ants perform life-saving amputations.
Amputations:
●
Amputation
is the loss or removal of a body part
such as a finger, toe, hand, foot, arm or leg.
●
It
can be a life changing experience affecting your ability to move, work,
interact with others and maintain your independence.
Key
takeaways:
●
Amputations
are performed only on certain leg
injuries, suggesting methodical and targeted surgical practices.
●
This
is the first known instance of an ant species using amputation to treat an
injury.
●
Amputations
significantly improve survival rates,
with ants surviving 90% of the time after amputation of limbs.
Types
of Amputations:
1.
Consensual Amputations:
●
The
procedure appears consensual, with injured ants presenting their leg to another
ant for amputation.
●
After
the leg is amputated, the wounded ant cleans the wound itself, followed by
another ant finishing the cleaning process.
2.
Selective Amputations:
●
Amputations
are only performed on ants with thigh
injuries, not on lower leg injuries.
●
Researchers
tracked amputees and found that survival rates of those with lower leg injuries
were only 20%.
●
Scans
revealed multiple muscles in the ants thighs that help in hemolymph regulation,
making thigh injuries less fatal.
Other
Important Takeaways:
●
It
has been found that thigh injuries result in rapid infection spread if not
amputated, leading to the evolution of this behavior in ants.
○
The
behavior indicates a complex level of
social organization and understanding among ants.
●
This
finding might suggest similar behaviors in other species and provides insight
into ant social dynamics and medical behavior.