Jewelry business. Scientists created a bandage from cotton swabs to save a grasshopper whose neck was broken

Working in zoos presents a variety of challenges, from engaging the public in environmental issues to ensuring appropriate conditions for all animals living there. Workers at the Houston Zoo appear to have reached a new level, IFLScience writes; local veterinarians created a miniature bandage to save a Peruvian jumper with a broken neck.

At the Bug House, zookeepers noticed a female Peruvian scavenger who appeared injured after molting. Entomologists noticed that the female had a weakened area in the thoracic region – the part of the insect that resembles its neck.

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According to entomologist Julie LaTurner, who first noticed the problem, she found a female and old molts nearby. The grasshopper’s exoskeleton was still “pliable” after molting, so the researchers suggested that the problem arose during the molting process.

Note that Peruvian garbage hoppers are not actually stick insects, but a type of grasshopper. In the wild, they live in the tropical forests of South America, and females are generally much larger than males. These insects spend their whole lives climbing on branches, and with a weakened neck it is extremely difficult to do this.

Entomologists examined the female and found damage not only to her neck but also to her head; He was probably injured while climbing the branch. According to LaTurner, he and his colleagues made an attempt to save the female, otherwise she would have to be euthanized; Due to an unnatural head position, it would likely be unable to feed and would eventually starve to death.

Because these types of problems are so unusual, researchers had to get creative. As a result, they were able to create a miniature bandage that would support the female’s neck using only a fraction of the cotton swab and paper band-aid. Zoo officials say the cotton swab was chosen because the material is ideally flexible and suitable for working with an injured insect.

The homemade miniature bandage turned out to be a successful solution – it was removed from the female only after four days, when her exoskeleton had completely hardened. He now moves normally around the enclosure and can hold his head in a natural position.

Previously Focus A long-lived penguin at an American zoo was given boots to combat arthritis, he wrote.