Much like human soldiers in combat, members of a large, black, termite-eating ant species found in sub-Saharan Africa march in formation into battle and afterward retrieve wounded comrades and carry them back home to recover.

Scientists described the unique rescue behaviour of the African Matabele ants, called Megaponera analis, after observing them in Ivory Coast's Comoé National Park, but did not ascribe charitable motives to the insects.

Ants: Nature's little rescuers.

"This is not an altruistic behaviour," said entomologist Erik Frank of the University of Würzburg in Germany, who led the research published in the journal Science Advances.

"The ants do not help the injured out of the goodness of their hearts. There is a clear benefit for the colony: these injured ants are able to participate again in future raids and remain a functioning member of the colony."