Surprised to find! Is it Chinese medicine? Chimpanzees use insects to treat wounds and bitter plant leaves to treat intestinal parasites Scientists have found that great apes have created a special kind of specialty when treating wounds

Surprised to find! Is it Chinese medicine? Chimpanzees use insects to treat wounds and bitter plant leaves to treat intestinal parasites

Scientists have found that the great apes have created a special first aid system when treating wounds – smearing insects on wounds.

We currently know that bears, elephants, insects, and lemurs use plants to self-treat parasites and diseases. Now, however, scientists have discovered for the first time that animals can use other animals — crushed insects — as a way to cure disease.

A study published Feb. 7 in Contemporary Biology suggests that because chimpanzees sometimes use bugs to treat their friends' wounds, this behavior may be a sign of species altruism.

The study's author, Simone Pika, a biologist at osnabrück University in Germany, points out that "just like the magic of animals that you read about in biology textbooks, this behavior of the great apes will eventually appear in those books." ”

Led by Tobias Deschner, a primate at Pika and Osnabrück University, scientists have witnessed multiple instances of chimpanzees catching winged insects and applying them to themselves and other chimpanzees in a community of about 45 chimpanzees in Gabon's Luango National Park.

"Our two closest surviving relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, devour plant leaves with deworming (antiparasitic) properties; chewing bitter leaves with chemical properties helps kill intestinal parasites," Pika said. Previously we only knew that chimpanzees ate insects, but for the first time we knew that they would catch insects and use them to treat wounds. ”

The novelty was discovered in 2019 by Alessandra Mascaro, who was a volunteer for the project, according to New Scientist. Mascarro watched as a female chimpanzee named Susie took care of her adolescent son, Thea, when one of Her feet was injured.

Mascaro said, "I noticed what seemed to be something between Susie's lips, and then it smeared it on the wound on Siya's foot. ”

When Lara Southern, Ph.D., of primatology at Osnabrück University, witnessed an adult male chimpanzee named Freddy exhibit similar behavior the following week, the team found that chimpanzees caught the tiny flying insect from the air.

Over the next year, the researchers closely observed and photographed chimpanzees with any signs of injury. The scientists noted other adult chimpanzees caring for each other's wounds.

Over a 15-month period, the team documented 76 instances of chimpanzees using insects on their wounds. According to the journal The Scientist, the study's authors suspect that the black flying insect may have anti-inflammatory or bactericidal properties.

Even if the insect does not provide a medical effect, this behavior may be an important part of the local chimpanzee social culture.

To Pika's surprise, chimpanzees also help orangutans who have no genetic relationship with them. Pika said, "All of a sudden, we found a species that knows how to care for others. ”

For now, the researchers' goal is to look for residual insects from orangutans to identify species and their potential drug properties.