Even today, countless people believe most animals, including invertebrates, don’t experience pain and merely react unconsciously to negative stimuli. It may seem hard to believe now, but up until the 1980s there were some who theorized that “pre-verbal human babies” did not feel pain. So, it’s pretty cutting-edge what seems to be happening in the U.K. “It’s been a real struggle even to get fish and mammals recognized under welfare law as sentient. The study emphasizes that up until now, Western culture has largely proclaimed that other animals don’t feel emotions or pain. The report discusses both the ethical and policy considerations that would arise if the world considered these animals sentient. Professor Andrews, in collaboration with Professor Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at Emory University, authored this latest report on the subject of emotions and animals. government found there is strong enough evidence to conclude that decapod crustaceans and cephalopod mollusks are sentient,” says study co-author and philosopher Kristin Andrews, the York Research Chair in Animal Minds, in a university release. “A London School of Economics (LSE) report commissioned by the U.K. If universally agreed upon, the conclusion that invertebrates feel emotions will almost certainly hold moral implications for millions as they sit down and decide what to eat. They’re even capable of completing puzzles that would give some humans pause and can recognize other organisms they’ve interacted with before.

Previous studies have shown that octopuses are very smart and socially sharp creatures. The vast majority of countries do not recognize invertebrates as sentient, but the United Kingdom is already mulling changes to its animal welfare legislation that would change this. Researchers from York University argue that octopuses, crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and other invertebrates are indeed sentient and can feel pain, anger, fear, and happiness. TORONTO - Prepare to feel especially guilty the next time you order seafood.

Are squids smart