Crabs Feel Pain

Although scientists still have a lot to learn about the nervous system and pain response capacity of crabs and other crustaceans, some facts are clear: Crabs have well-developed senses of sight, smell, and taste, and science indicates that they have the ability to sense pain as well.⁷ Crabs have two main nerve centers, one in their front and one to their rear, and—like all other animals who have nerves and an array of other senses—they feel and react to pain.⁸

Animals who feel and react to pain have an evolutionary advantage, and it seems unlikely that crabs would have survived in their treacherous ocean environment without the ability to sense pain. In observing their behavior, it is clear that crabs’ responses to actions that would cause pain (e.g., being boiled alive) are similar to those of any other animal (i.e., they try very hard to escape).

Dr. Nedim Buyukmihci, professor of veterinary medicine at the University of California, Davis, explains: “Pain is a universal biological phenomenon in the animal world. It serves to protect an individual from internal or external adverse conditions. All animals studied to date have been demonstrated to have at least some means of responding to stimuli which would cause pain. Even invertebrates such as insects and earthworms have been shown to possess pain modulators which were commonly thought to exist only in vertebrates such as mammals. It is, therefore, completely rational and biologically sound to state that crabs would be able to feel pain. Moreover, their behavior is consistent with this principle.”

While scientists are still discovering more about these fascinating animals’ biology and behavior, compassionate people should give crabs and other crustaceans the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their capacity to feel pain and simply leave them off the dinner table.

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⁷“Crab (animal),” Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2005.
⁸“Description of Shellfish Types,” Shellfish Network, 2005.

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