Injury in animals

Injury in animals is damage to the body caused by wounding, change in pressure, heat or cold, chemical substances, venoms and biotoxins.

Injuries to animals including humans can be caused by wounding,[1] change in pressure, heat or cold,[2] chemical substances,[3] venoms and biotoxins.

[7] Injury causes multiple effects at different biological levels from molecular and cellular to physiological, organismal, behavioural, and ecological.

These include such harmful effects as direct damage to cells and tissues; loss of energy reserves; stress responses and changes to immune function; defensive behaviour; and reduced ability to move, feed, reproduce, and compete.

[9] Animals in several phyla, including annelids, arthropods, cnidaria, molluscs, nematodes, and vertebrates are able to produce antimicrobial peptides to fight off infection following an injury.

A Camponotus ant that has been injured in a fight with other ants
A sand lizard that has shed its tail when attacked by a predator , and has started to regrow a tail from the site of the injury