Chimpanzees Observed Helping Each Other Treat Wounds with Crushed Insects
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Chimpanzees are suspected of coming up with their own form of self-medication.
Research published Monday by the journal Current Biology revealed that scientists have recently observed chimpanzees applying crushed insects directly to each others' open wounds in what appears to be an effort to heal the injuries.
According to The Guardian, researchers first observed the healing method being used by chimps in the West African nation of Gabon.
These observations have contributed to the ongoing conversation among scientists about whether chimpanzees and other animals have empathy and the drive to help others selflessly.
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Simone Pika, a biologist at the University of Osnabruck in Germany and a co-author of the study, discussed the significance behind the sightings of chimps tending to one another.
"It takes a lot of trust to put an insect in an open wound," said Pika. "They seem to understand that if you do this to me with this insect, then my wound gets better. It's amazing," The Guardian reported Pika said per the AFP.
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According to the study's findings, from November 2019 to February 2021, researchers witnessed 76 open wounds on 22 chimpanzees.
"In 19 events, individuals applied an insect to one of their own wounds using the following behavioral sequence: first, they caught an insect; second, they immobilized it by placing and/or squeezing the insect between their lips; third, they placed the insect to an exposed surface of the wound and moved the insect on the surface using their fingertips or lips; fourth, they extracted the insect from the wound with the mouth or their fingers," the text of the Current Biology study reads.
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The insects used have not been identified but appear to be winged flying insects.
Findings from the research also show chimpanzees were observed applying or moving an insect to both their own wounds and the wounds of other apes.
"Self-medication — where individuals use plant parts or non-nutritional substances to combat pathogens or parasites — has been observed across multiple animal species including insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals," said Pika in a statement per CNN.
