It's been known for decades that animals such as chimpanzees
seek out medicinal herbs to treat their diseases. But in recent years, the list
of animal pharmacists has grown much longer, and it now appears that the
practice of animal self-medication is a lot more widespread than previously
thought, according to a University of Michigan ecologist and his colleagues.
Animals use medications to treat various ailments through
both learned and innate behaviors. The fact that moths, ants and fruit flies
are now known to self-medicate has profound implications for the ecology and
evolution of animal hosts and their parasites, according to Mark Hunter, a
professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and at the
School of Natural Resources and Environment.