Is It True That Plants Feel Pain When Cut And Some Animals Can Hear Them?
I am a Phytophile, a lover of plants, and I think the earth is adorned with all kinds of beautiful plants and flowers. Plus, I have always been the kind of person who talks to her plants and whispers words of love and encouragement in their ears. But one day when I was pruning my favorite fern, I thought, “Do plants feel pain when cut?”.
The smell of freshly cut grass is something many people adore and I am one of them. It evokes the senses and it makes many of us wonder about the greatness of nature.
When I started this research, the first thing I found out was that the smell of freshly cut grass which we romanticize so much is actually their way of crying for help. It’s a distress call for other plants to save them from being attacked. This made me more empathetic as a person.
The thing is.. We feel pain when we slash our fingers. Plants are living beings too. What if they scream in pain when they are being cut? Perhaps plants have feelings too. What if plants are trying to communicate with us?
All these questions intrigued the plant lover in me to dig deeper on the subject. Stay with me till the end and find out whether plants have souls and if they feel pain when their stems and leaves are being cut.
Do Plants Feel Pain When We Cut Them?
Do plants scream when you cut them? The short answer to this question is yes. Plants do feel pain when we cut them. However, the pain isn’t like what humans or animals feel because they do not have a brain or a central nervous system for any signals to be sent.
There are other senses in plants according to a scientific study but pain isn’t one of them. For instance, plants can feel human touch and they even respond to temperature changes but they don’t feel any pain when they are being cut.
Having said that, it’s also important to note that plants do have sophisticated mechanisms that detect and respond to damage. When you cut a plant, it can trigger various biochemical responses and release chemical signals.
For example, if you cut a plant, it will reveal jasmonic acid to initiate defensive reactions to save itself. Nature is wonderful, isn’t it? They don’t feel the pain like humans but they do have reactions that are purely physiological. It is aimed at improving survival rather than having a motive like suffering such as humans do.
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Why Do Plants Scream When We Cut Them?
According to studies, yes, plants do scream in pain when they are being cut. But their screaming is different from how a man or animal would scream. The plants don’t have any emotions but they emit distress signals in response to any injury.
The plant screaming sound isn’t audible to us humans because they are ultrasonic sounds that only plants can produce when they are met with stress.
Some other scenarios where plants scream include:
- When they are deprived of water
- When they are in distress because their cells are being damaged
- Internal pressure changes
These are some of the common reasons why plants scream when we cut them. This is about humans. What about animals? Can they hear plants scream? Read along and find out.
Can Animals Hear Plants Scream?
As mentioned earlier, the whole notion of plants screaming comes from recent research where it was found that they emit ultrasonic vibrations that can be heard by animals. These sounds are at frequencies above the range of human hearing. They range somewhere between 20 kHz and 100 kHz.
Here are some animals that can hear plants scream in night and in the daytime:
1. Insects and mammals
Do plants feel pain when cutting them? No. Not as humans feel pain but it triggers a reaction in them and they send ultrasonic frequencies which certain insects can detect. Insects like moths and small mammals like rodents have been found to potentially detect these ultrasonic frequencies. These sounds are airborne and can be picked up by insects and mammals.
Furthermore, studies have shown that moths might use these ultrasonic signals to locate injured plants. Scientists aren’t sure but it could be a way to find food sources and to avoid predators.
2. Dogs
Dogs also have an impressive range of hearing. According to research, they can hear up to 65 kHz, a heightened auditory ability. This means that dogs can detect high-frequency sounds like dog whistles or certain animal calls that are inaudible to humans.
There is no scientific evidence on whether dogs can hear plants screaming or not but they would most definitely pick up the sounds of a few selected plants. It all depends on the frequency and intensity of the plant’s ultrasonic emissions.
3. Bats and mice
Do plants scream when you cut them? Yes and perhaps bats and mice could hear them. If studies are to be believed, bats use echolocation to navigate their way and hunt on their prey.
That’s why they might be able to hear the vibrations of plants. The same goes with mice as they also are highly sensitive to noises and can perceive ultrasonic frequencies.
4. Dolphins and whales
Just like bats, even dolphins and whales use echolocation to find food. According to research, they have a remarkable sensory ability to hear ultrasonic sounds that fall on the lower end of the spectrum. Therefore, these marine animals might be able to hear plant vibrations.
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Can Plants Hear Us?
No, plants do not hear us the way animals or humans can. The reason is the same as why they don’t feel pain. They lack auditory and sensory nerves to detect noise or pain. So, you don’t have to worry about vegetable cruelty.
On the other hand, research says that plants can detect and react to various types of sound stimuli, such as vibrations caused by wind, rain, or even human voices.
Conclusion: Do Plants Suffer In Silence?
Do plants feel pain when cutting them? And do they scream? Yes but not the same way as humans and animals do. Their screams are like signals of distress. Thus, the whole notion of plants screaming when they are being cut adds a bit of mystery to our everyday lives. And these discoveries have certainly enhanced my way of understanding how these living organisms interact with the environment.
