A team of researchers found that when squids and their natural predator sea bass were swimming freely in a tank squids that were injured were more vigilante and had enhanced defense behaviors. When the injured squids were treated with an anesthetic they failed to respond with the same survival value.The findings suggest that behaviors that appear counterproductive might sometimes have an advantage when viewed from an evolutionary perspective. The sensory activity driving the squids' heightened vigilance may be similar to sensory processes that trigger pain after injury in humans but there is no research that shows squids feel the same pain as humans. the findings in squid suggest a whole new way to think about our own human reactions to injury and pain.
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140508121345.htm
This is such an interesting idea. The concept of animals having almost an adrenaline effect like humans is revolutionary. From an evolution perspective, this could also give us new information on natural selection with injured animals.
ReplyDeleteGreat article. I found that Squid perform a certain sequence of defensive behaviors when they feel threatened, often starting when the predator is still quite distant. Because we can grade their responses from low to high levels of perceived danger, it gives us a way to measure how injured and normal squid danger differently as a predator approaches them and initiates an attack.
ReplyDeleteIf the squid do not feel the same pain that humans do, it may be quite possible that the anesthetic has some sort of sensory effect, causing the squid to not believe that they are in danger. I researched, and found that anesthetics can basically cause a reversible coma. Essentially the squids brain activity was reduced. I believe that this is what caused the squids to not respond in the same way that the untreated squids responded
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting article. I find it really interesting how the behavior's of the squid are shown. It also relates to our current unit! This also shows an all new perspective on how we react to pain and other times that we feel threatened.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great example of the "Fight or Flight" in squids. The injured squids have nowhere to go, so their only option is too fight. When they are under the anesthetics as joey mentioned their instincts are clouded. It would be interesting to see if they would get similar results in different species of animals.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very interesting article and that it is getting at a very good point. I think that it is interesting how the squid's reactions, and how it has enhanced defense when it senses that is in danger. Have tests like this been tested on other animals? If so how did they react?
ReplyDeleteI think that this article is very interesting. It makes me wonder what other animals have been tested. I think that it would be even more interesting to find out what other animals would and would not have the same reaction to the anesthetic.
ReplyDeleteThis article brings up a very good idea. I wonder if any other animals have been tested like this and if so how the results compare. Also how would the results compare to results of this test on humans?
ReplyDeletePain, at least in humans, is supposed to help us realize that something is going wrong inside or outside our bodies. I would expect that tis would be similar for animals as well, it would warn the organism's body to change something. It has also been observed that in people that have a disorder that makes them not feel pain, that they screw something up in their bodies because they cannot feel pain that would warn them not to do whatever they are doing.
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