Crabs 'feel and remember pain' suggests new study

[madinmaryland]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/27/crabs.memorypain/index.html

(CNN) -- New research suggests that crabs not only suffer pain but that they retain a memory of it.

The study, which was carried out by Professor Bob Elwood and Mirjam Appel from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University, Belfast, looked at the reactions of hermit crabs to small electric shocks. It was published in the journal "Animal Behaviour."

Professor Elwood, whose previous work showed that prawns endure pain, said his research highlighted the need to investigate the treatment of crustaceans used in food industries.

Hermit crabs have no shell of their own so inhabit other structures, usually empty mollusc shells.

In the research, wires were attached to shells to deliver the small shocks to the abdomen of some of the crabs within the shells. The only crabs to get out of their shells were those which had received shocks, indicating that the experience is unpleasant for them.

..snip

Don't taser me bro!

:yoiks:

[Blue_Tires]

1. those poor crabs...

[sammythecat]

2. hmm

"The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But can they suffer?" - Jeremy Bentham

Not necessarily a call for vegetarianism, just something to keep in mind in our dealings with animals.

:-)

[applegrove]

3. Planaria feel and remember pain. Why wouldn't a crab?

[skygazer]

4. That's why they're crabby

:P

[tigereye]

5. I thought those kinds of studies were out....

seems kind of unethical, in a way.

[SPKrazy]

6. Stimulus Response

eat em'

[Forkboy]

7. They were just prawns in the professor's game.

I'll be here all week, try the veal!

[Critters2]

8. Some sadist enjoys shocking helpless creatures,

and gets grant money to do it.

And hey! It turns out animals with central nervous systems feel pain.

And this genius's last study showed that shrimp feel pain.

I think the real question is whether this tool has any feelings. What say we hook him up to some electrodes?!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. to be fair he may be doing it to ask people to stop pretending that crustaceans dont have feelings

[Flaxbee]

10. I agree.

Why humans have ever thought we were the only ones with feelings of not just physical pain, but emotional pain, boggles my mind.

If studies like this result in humane treatment of all animals, whether we consider them food or not, then perhaps the pros outweigh the cons.

[Critters2]

16. Biologists and zoologists know the mechanics by which

central nervous systems work, even in crabs. Once it's established that a creature has a CNS, the issue of whether they feel pain is settled. This study was not necessary.

[TZ]

20. Crabs are invertebrates

No spine therefore no CNS critters. Despite your beliefsvscientists aren't sadistic Nazis that go around torturing animals:eyes:

[Critters2]

22. Crabs do have a central nervous system.

Here's a children's website for starters, but there are plenty other sources, if you need 'em.

Let me quote: "The crab has a condensed central nervous system consisting of several ganglia".

Note the term "central nervous system".

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/invert.html

[Rabrrrrrr]

11. I think you do science a disservice here, critters.

It's a legitimate study - one that might very well begin a change in the food service industry.

We might see an end to the harvesting of crab claws of that one crab that the fishermen haul up, rip one claw off, and throw them back in the ocean, knowing the claws will regenerate.

Or, who knows, some other stuff might change.

But until legitimate, monitored, systematic tests are done, we have no data with which to effect change.

[Critters2]

15. We know the function of a central nervous system. We know

that crabs have central nervous systems. The issue of whether crabs feel pain is really not in question. We've had the data for a good long time. To subject more sentient animals to pain to "prove" they feel pain is sadism, pure and simple.

[madinmaryland]

13. A good tasering maybe??

[Critters2]

18. Seems reasonable. I mean, do we REALLY know that

Professor Bob Elwood and Mirjam Appel from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University, Belfast feel pain, unless we put a few volts through 'em?

[Lyric]

12. If it makes people think twice before tossing crustaceans alive into a pot

to cook, then I'm all for it.

[Critters2]

19. It won't. People who boil animals to death because they taste good

won't give two shakes of a rat's tail what some academics say. And the academics knew that when they did this "study". This is just good ol' fashioned sadism.

[SPKrazy]

21. nahh....

I'm not giving thought to crustacians without proof.

"feeling" and emotional feeling are two different things.

boil those crabs, crawfish, mmmm.... :P

[no name no slogan]

14. Then why didn't they SAY SOMETHING?

:eyes:

[Deja Q]

17. Because Paris Hilton kept the crabs smothered by clothing (for once)?

[no name no slogan]

24. That's hot.

[flvegan]

23. So long as they taste good, some people will never care.

Our entire animal agriculture system is based on taste and a certain level of compassion misplacement. Just how it is.