Scientists have made an unexpected statement about ants

Ants save the wounded in the fighting relatives.

“The ant colony lives. Someone broke a foot, it doesn’t count” — this line from the song became a catch phrase. In fact, in an ant community to care for the wounded and maimed, found by biologists.

African ant Megaponera analis is widely distributed South of the Sahara and feed exclusively on termites, preying on them at two to four times a day. Acting in groups, they attack termites, killing them and carrying away their prey.

Attacks are not without casualties, as the termites are resisting. Caste of soldier termites — dangerous enemies with powerful jaws and a large head protected by keratinized tissue. A lot of ants involved in fights with these termites, or die, or get seriously injured.

For this reason the ants “developed” tactics rescue of the wounded relatives, are still unknown in insects, presents phys.org a study published in Science Advances.

Scientists from the University of würzburg, watched the raids ants in côte d’ivoire. Attacks staged from 52 species of ant. To tell them apart, the researchers marked each ant acrylic paint.

After every fight unscathed ants carried away three wounded, every day save up to 15 relatives.

Researchers have discovered how the ants know that there are injured among them, is the smell. Corrupted ant secretes a foul-smelling volatile compounds, dimethyl trisulfide and dimethyl disulfide. Emits a smell the ants immediately transporterowych back to the nest for “treatment”.

Scientists say that the “first observed” such behavior in invertebrates, and the results of the study were unexpected, given that the ants eusocial insects, which working individuals are valued little.

paradox