A termite-eating species of ant, Megaponera analis, carries wounded comrades back from the field. The ants picked up their peers who had lost legs or antennae, and rendered immobile by termites clinging to their bodies or lagging behind. The injured ants signal their plight through secretions of pheromones from their mandibular glands. Researchers say that the ants are just responding to this chemical signal, rather than being motivated by empathy. By saying these injured ants which participate again in future raids, they don’t have to replace them by producing new workers.
Observations inside the nest have revealed that these ants treat the wounds of their injured nest-mates, making them the first recorded non-human species to consistently take care of the wounds of other individuals. Nest mates grab the damaged limb of the injured ant in their mandibles and hold it in place with their front legs. They then start to “lick” the wound for numerous minutes. This treatment occurs predominantly within the first hour after injury. The typical mortality rate of injured ants is 80% of the cases, likely due to an infection. With treatment, mortality is reduced to 10%. There remains to be a consensus on whether or not this treatment is purely prophylactic (cleaning of the injury and removing debris/dirt) or actually medical (like applying antibiotic substances to fight off an infection).
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