I have heard that animals with the brain of a pea dont have the capability to feel pain. anyone have any scientific data on this?
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is there any scientific evidence that iguanas can feel pain just like us?
caliguy36
Jul 16, 2003 10:58 PM
Replies (4)
zrho
Jul 17, 2003 12:32 AM
Pain Hopefully the information will provide some insight.
meretseger
Jul 17, 2003 06:39 AM
Their brains have all the same bits that our brain does that produce a feeling of pain. A neocortex and an ability to say 'ouch' aren't the necessary prerequisities. They also react to painful stimuli by trying to avoid it- writhing, running off, gaping, biting, ect. Of course, I can't, and science can't, prove that ANYTHING besides me feels pain, another human might just be following instinctive behavior to stimuli if I hit them with a frying pan. They also might disappear when I close my eyes. But reptiles and mammals alike sure ACT as if they're feeling pain, and that's enough to me to try to avoid inflicting it on them if I can.
bexley
Jul 17, 2003 07:33 AM
Do you feel pain? Given that your brain would appear to be the size of a pea, by your own logic you can answer the question yourself.
It was firmly established in the 60's that reptiles, mammals, avians, fish and higher invertebrates feel pain. Its provided miles of footage for PETA that is still used today, even though studies like that are no longer conducted in Canada, most of the US, or other parts of the world. I'd say you're just being a troll trying to get a rise out of the Ig forum.
girlzilla
Jul 17, 2003 11:57 AM
If you read posts further down, you will see that caliguy has a reptile who is injured. I gather that he may have trouble paying for vet bills. Let us assume that he is a caring owner seeking information. Your insults will do nothing to encourage him to go to the vet, or if he already has, to agree to pay for something like post-operative pain management afterwards. Besides, he doesn't sound like a troll to me- at least he isn't threatening to eat his iguana, like that guy last week.
Caliguy, I followed the link in the post above (titled "Pain"
and then found another link on the same site. It was to an article that I understood better than the first one. It is written by a reptile vet, and has some scientific theories on whether reptiles feel pain. Hope it helps. How is your iguana?
Reptile Vet Article on Pain for the Vivarium
