Florida Carpenter Ants: Ant Surgeons

• 19 Jul 2024

Source: TH

Recent study has revealed that Florida carpenter ants (Camponotus floridanus) perform life-saving surgeries on injured nestmates to improve their survival chances.

• These ants decide whether to amputate (remove body part by surgery) or just clean the wound based on the location of the injury. 
  • Amputations are done for injuries higher up the leg (femur), while cleaning is done for injuries lower down the leg (tibia).
• Ants have a bluish-greenish fluid called hemolymph, similar to blood in most invertebrates. Higher leg injuries slow hemolymph flow, aiding effective amputations.
• This behaviour of ants is considered the most sophisticated "medical system" in the animal kingdom, rivalled only by human medical practices.

Florida Carpenter Ants:

• They have 6 legs, and reddish-brown species over 1.5 cm long, found in the southeastern US.

• They nest in rotting wood and defend their nests against rival ant colonies.

Read more: The Secret Lives of Insects, Orangutan Treats Wound With Medicinal Plant