Insect & Spider

Behavioural indicators of pain and suffering in arthropods and might pain bite back?

Pain in response to tissue damage functions to change behaviour so that further damage is minimised whereas healing and survival are promoted. This paper focuses on the behavioural criteria that match the function to ask if pain is likely in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Crustacean, Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Elwood, R. W. 2023. Behavioural indicators of pain and suffering in arthropods and might pain bite back? Animals 13(16), 2602.

Do bumble bees play?

A variety of animals have been found to interact with and manipulate inanimate objects ‘just for fun', that is, to play. Most clear examples of object play come from mammals and birds. However, whether insects interact with inanimate objects as...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Galpayage Dona, H. S., Solvi,C., Kowalewska, A. et al. 2022. Do bumble bees play? Animal Behaviour 194, 239-251.

Guidelines for protecting and promoting insect welfare in research

These guidelines were developed by the leadership of the Insect Welfare Research Society (IWRS). They are intended to provide guidance to individuals researching insects, in laboratory, field, education, and industry contexts. The guidelines are informed by standard principles of animal...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Fischer, B., Barrett, M., Adcock, S. et al. 2023. Guidelines for protecting and promoting insect welfare in research. Insect Welfare Research Society.

Is it time for insect researchers to consider their subjects’ welfare?

Recent evidence suggests that at least some insect species might plausibly feel pain. These findings should prompt researchers to think about the welfare implications of insect experiments.

Year Published: 2023Topics: Analgesia, Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Crump, A., Gibbons, M., Barrett, M. et al. 2023. Is it time for insect researchers to consider their subjects' welfare? PLOS Biology 21(6), e3002138.

Refining housing, husbandry and care for animals used in studies involving biotelemetry

Biotelemetry can contribute towards reducing animal numbers and suffering in disciplines including physiology, pharmacology and behavioural research. However, the technique can also cause harm to animals, making biotelemetry a ‘refinement that needs refining'. Current welfare issues relating to the housing...

Year Published: 2014Topics: External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: All/General, Amphibian, Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Cephalopod, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Chinchilla, Crocodile & Alligator, Crustacean, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Gibbon, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Insect & Spider, Invertebrate, Lemur, Lizard, Macaque, Marine Mammal, Marmoset, Mink, Mole Rat, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal, Other Bird, Other Fish, Other Invertebrate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Parrot, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Salamander, Salmon, Shark & Ray, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Tilapia, Trout, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Hawkins, P. 2014. Refining housing, husbandry and care for animals used in studies involving biotelemetry. Animals 4(2), 361-373.

Stereotypic behavior is not limited to terrestrial taxa: A response to Rose et al

This comment is in response to a recent review of stereotypical behavior in captive exotic animals (Rose et al., 2017). Negative stereotypical behavior occurs across most if not all taxa, including notable aquatic invertebrates. A useful discussion of animal suffering...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Cephalopod, Crustacean, Insect & Spider, Invertebrate, Other Invertebrate

Citation: Cooke, G. M. 2017. Stereotypic behavior is not limited to terrestrial taxa: A response to Rose et al. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 22, 17-18.

Sickness behaviour in the cricket Gryllus texensis: Comparison with animals across phyla

Immune activation alters behaviour (i.e. sickness behaviour) in animals across phyla and is thought to aid recovery from infection. Hypotheses regarding the adaptive function of different sickness behaviours (e.g. decreased movement and appetite) include the energy conservation and predator avoidance...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Sullivan, K., Fairn, E., Adamo, S. A. 2016. Sickness behaviour in the cricket Gryllus texensis: Comparison with animals across phyla. Behavioural Processes 128, 134-143.

Spider and chips: The use of internal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips as a minimally invasive method to measure internal body temperatures in invertebrates

Internal RFID transponders have been used in vertebrates for many years, however studies into their use in invertebrates are less well represented in the literature. The use of RFID transponders for internal temperature measurement represents a less invasive alternative to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Baker, S., Knight, E., Pellett, S. et al. 2018. Spider and chips: The use of internal Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips as a minimally invasive method to measure internal body temperatures in invertebrates. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(1), 1-7.

Neural consequences of environmental enrichment

Neuronal plasticity is a central theme of modern neurobiology, from cellular and molecular mechanisms of synapse formation in Drosophila to behavioural recovery from strokes in elderly humans. Although the methods used to measure plastic responses differ, the stimuli required to...

Year Published: 2001Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Van Praag, H., Kempermann, G., Gage, F. H. 2001. Neural consequences of environmental enrichment. Nature Neuroscience 1, 191-198.

Defining and assessing animal pain

The detection and assessment of pain in animals is crucial to improving their welfare in a variety of contexts in which humans are ethically or legally bound to do so. Thus clear standards to judge whether pain is likely to...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Amphibian, Bird, Cephalopod, Crocodile & Alligator, Crustacean, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Insect & Spider, Invertebrate, Lizard, Other Bird, Other Fish, Other Invertebrate, Parrot, Reptile, Salamander, Salmon, Snake, Tilapia, Trout, Turtle & Tortoise, Zebrafish

Citation: Sneddon, L. U., Elwood, R. W., Adamo, S. A. et al. 2014. Defining and assessing animal pain. Animal Behaviour 97, 201-212.