Lobsters, octopuses and crabs are sentient and can feel pain

A new British report notes that octopuses, crabs and lobsters are also sentient, able to sense pain. These are the latest animals to be added to Britain's list of sentient beings.

According to CNN, the above report was made by experts from the London Institute of Economics and Politics (LSE) under the mandate of the British Government.

Experts reviewed 300 scientific papers to evaluate evidence of sentience in animals. They concluded that cephalopods (octopus, squid) and ten-legged crustaceans (shrimp, crab) should be treated as sentient beings.

Octopus, crab and lobster are also sentient, can feel pain - (Photo: CNN).

The new report argues that lobsters and crabs should not be boiled alive, and offers some best practices for transportation and slaughter.

Experts used eight different standards to measure the animals' perception, including: learning ability, the number of pain receptors, the connection between these receptors and some regions. certain brain functions, responses to anesthetics or analgesics, and other perceptual behaviors.

These behaviors include weighing threat against opportunity, or balancing combat against injury or threat.

They found evidence that octopuses have "very strong" senses and that most crabs have "strong" senses.

For other animals in this group such as squid, cuttlefish and lobster, evidence suggests they have considerable but not strong sentience.

However, the report also notes that the disparity between the above evidence may be due to different levels of scientific interest in each species.

Now, vertebrates have been included in the list of sentient beings in an animal rights bill being debated in the UK.

'The Sentient Animal Welfare Bill will guarantee the rights of animals and it will be given full consideration in the legislative process. Science has shown that cephalopods and ten-legged crustaceans can feel pain, so they need to be included in this bill," said Environment Secretary Zac Goldsmith.

If passed, the bill would create the Sentient Animal Committee. This committee will be responsible for reporting on how government decisions take the welfare of sentient animals into account.

It is also part of the UK Government's Animal Welfare Action Plan.