Source record
Review of the evidence of sentience in cephalopod molluscs and decapod crustaceans
Jonathan Birch, Charlotte Burn, Alexandra Schnell, Heather Browning, Andrew Crump (2021). Report commissioned by the UK Government (Defra). London School of Economics.
Key findings
- Reviewed more than 300 studies against eight criteria for sentience and concluded there is strong evidence of sentience in octopuses and crabs, and substantial evidence for other decapods.
Record
- Source type
- Report
- Study type
- Systematic Review
- Topics
- Sentience & cognition
- Geography
- Not applicable
- Funding & conflicts
- Not recorded.
- Source quality
- Strong evidenceRigorous commissioned review that led to a change in UK law.
Limitations
- Criteria-based framework; evidence for some species groups remains thin.
Statistics we use from this source
- 300studies (more than 300)Studies reviewed in the LSE sentience report (over 300)
Claims this source supports
AnimalsStrong evidence
There is broad scientific agreement that mammals, birds and fish can experience pain, and growing evidence that some invertebrates such as decapod crustaceans can too.
The animals we farm can feel pain. For fish the evidence is strong; for crabs and lobsters it is now considered substantial.