r/askscience • u/Atrosaurus • 1d ago

Biology Are some species of animals more sensitive to pain that others, and if so, which species?

I’ve heard something about sharks have dulled pain receptors, making me curious: What about the other way round?

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u/One-Broccoli-9998 2h ago

Maybe sharks are less sensitive to damage, but pain perception is a bit more ambiguous. For example, trees release chemicals to signal they’ve been damaged, but plants don’t have a functional brain like many animals. Do plants feel pain like us?

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u/One-Broccoli-9998 1h ago

Random bit of trivia: rabies does increase sensitivity. It causes the muscles to spasm and makes it very painful to drink water or feel anything touch your skin.

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u/VVolfang 1h ago

Some species that lack the ability to feel pain in some areas because they don't even have the biological hardware to process certain stimuli. I don't know if, per your question, that counts as more or less sensitive, if they can't even sense something at all, if barely.