Scientists have revealed that ants use amputation to treat femur injuries in the nest.
In a study conducted at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, scientists examined the behavior of ants kept in an air-conditioned room.
It was observed that the leg of ants injured in the femur was bitten and amputated by other ants in the nest.
In the experiment conducted in this context, it was reported that none of the 24 ants injured in the tibia were amputated by the other ants in the nest, while 21 of the 24 ants injured in the femur were amputated.
In the study, it was observed that three ants injured in the femur and not amputated died, while 21 "treated" ants survived.
ONLY IN FEMUR INJURIES
The study found that when ants were injured in the femur, amputation was performed by their nest mates in 76 percent of cases, while amputation was never observed when the wound occurred in the tibia.
While the study revealed that ants can distinguish the type of wound and adapt their treatment accordingly, it was emphasized that this study is the first example of amputation to treat infected individuals in a living creature other than humans.
