ants

            In sub-Saharan Africa, there are ants that take a human characteristic into their own, heroism. The African Matabele ant, or the Megaponera analis, show that no matter the size of the colony, no ant is replaceable. These termite eating ants sustain a certain level of injuries while on the mission to college termites to feed on, they have adapted to not only tend to the injured but bring them back to their nest and aid their recovery. In a study in 2017, these ants were seen to carry all ants who sustained non-fatal injuries back to their nesting area. However, this is not the full extent of the heroism. In an experiment, they collected six ant colonies and experimentally removed legs which spiked the response of its comrade ants who brought it back to the artificial nest. Once in the nest they began to clean the pen wound with their mouth for up to 4 minutes. This showed to have a 90% 24-hour survival rate if treated with the licking as opposed to only a 20% survival if the researchers had not allowed for this extra aid in the injured ant. It is believed that the licking of the wound is to clear away any dirt to prevent infection and to apply antimicrobial chemicals.