Consciousness a 'realistic possibility' in birds, fish, squid and bees, scholars say

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Scientists and philosophers across the globe agree it is reasonable to assume the vast majority of creatures on Earth are sentient in some way — including lobster, squid and the tiny flies that swarm over drinks left outside in the summer.

The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness, released Friday, was signed by 39 cognition scholars at universities from Canada to Australia. It says there is "at least a realistic possibility" that all vertebrates and many invertebrates have conscious experience.