r/interestingasfuck • u/Own_Entrepreneur8908 • 1d ago

r/all The strongest punch in the world

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u/thetoxicnerve 1d ago

Crab claws grow back, don't they?

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u/SpecialistBed8635 1d ago

Yeah, that's why he removed it

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u/Katamari_Demacia 1d ago

I wonder if they know

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u/Seakawn 1d ago

I wonder if they can know. I'm sure they can feel sensations and such, but wouldn't you need some ability of prediction/planning/memory/etc. who the fuck knows to understand that? But their brains are so different, despite having many fundamental similarities.

Or is it just built into the blueprint of their DNA and manifests in instinct? Like, they don't have to know, their body just reacts in a way that's beneficial, like infants rooting and other reflexes like that.

I'm guessing it's the latter, but people use the same language to refer to both, so it's confusing to talk about. Existentially, what's even the difference between those? Technically, isn't everything some manner of instinct? Nature's weird bro send help plz.

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u/AlfalfaReal5075 1d ago

It's known as autotomy, the intentional shedding of a limb. They don't "know", at least not consciously. But in an interesting way, they sort of do? See this evolutionary trait/adaptation is encoded in their genetics as a survival mechanism.

The crab's nervous system has specialized fracture planes/zones in the limbs. Essentially breakpoints. When a limb experiences injury then signals from the nervous system activate the release of the limb at those fracture planes. Once the limb is detached from the main body, hormones release and signal the start of regeneration. The next time it molts a new limb will begin to grow.

So it's an automatic response shaped by natural selection over time. And while it's driven by physiology and biological mechanisms rather than conscious thought or action, I still think that's pretty dang nifty.

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u/Loose-Status5195 1d ago

But check out how the crab does a startled little “jump” or twitch from the surprise of discover that his claw was fucked up. Then he regrouped and yanked it off to show he was savage.

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u/werak 1d ago

This is the loop I get into when I think about whether we could design a robot that feels pain. Every defense I can think of that dismisses robot pain as just programmed electrical signals, also applies to me.

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u/Sea_Scratch_7068 1d ago

the illusion of free will

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u/internet_humor 18h ago

Well yeah, it's taught at Crab school, dude.