Lobster and crab fan? Scientists suggest crustaceans feel pain
If you're a fan of crab, shrimp and lobster, you probably won't be happy to hear that these little animals suffer when they are thrown alive into boiling water pans. According to the Daily Mail, a group of researchers at Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, found that crustaceans feel pain, although they do not show suffering reactions before they turn into a meal.
The researchers conducted experiments on 90 green crabs - a very common species in Europe - that were placed in a dark-sheltered aquarium, which is the kind of place where these animals usually hide. Half of the crustaceans received light electric shocks as they entered the shelters, quickly emerging from hiding, and then collected and plunged into another aquarium.
Reflex or pain?
After a while, the crabs were put back in the “torture tank”, giving a new shock as they tried to hide in the shelter again. However, when they were inserted into the aquarium for the third time, none of the crabs that had been shocked again came close to hiding places, which the researchers described as a reaction to pain due to the memory of an unpleasant experience rather than a simple response. reflex.
According to the researchers, the defensive reflex occurs instantaneously, while what was observed during the experiment demonstrated a change in the long-term behavior of animals. And while it is not possible to prove that crustaceans really are in pain - after all, unlike mammals, the poor cannot scream or escape cooks - the experiments have shown responses consistent with the painful experience.
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