Dr Sarah Skeels
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sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Dr Sarah Skeels
@sarahzoologist.bsky.social
130 followers 30 following 21 posts
Zoologist.
PDRA investigating insect sentience at QMUL.
PhD & BBSRC Fellowship studying weakly electric fish in Oxford.
All-round animal lover!
She/her
Twitter- @sarah_zoologist
Posts Replies Media Videos
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Hey folks, it's been a while!
I just wanted to share my latest paper with @larschittka.bsky.social exploring consciousness in insects!
Have a read if you want to learn more about this fascinating subject 😀

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
The exploration of consciousness in insects | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Consciousness is a state of subjective experience or awareness, e.g. of an emotion, the self or external objects. In humans, this awareness is underpinned by a suite of cognitive functions, from attention to metacognition. To understand the evolution of ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:51 AM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Spotted Congo Pufferfish as requested by my husband 😊 #SundayFishSketch
August 31, 2025 at 4:56 PM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
A bit late to the party, but I was on German Radio a little while back, discussing some of the work I am doing investigating animal sentience and pain in crickets 🦗
Here is a link if you are interested in having a listen!

www.deutschlandfunk.de/made-im-schm...
Biologie: Können Insekten Schmerz empfinden?
Lange galten Insekten als kleine Roboter. Doch das Bild wandelt sich: Insekten treffen Entscheidungen, manche Art hat Persönlichkeit. Fühlen sie auch Schmerz?
www.deutschlandfunk.de
June 13, 2025 at 10:45 AM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Here's another weird fish I love for #SundayFishSketch- the Ocean Sunfish! 🌞🐟 I've never been able to see them in the wild, though I did get to see one up close at the Lisbon Oceanarium on a conference excursion- it made my day! 😄 They are so derpy- I love it! 😍 I so want to study them one day!!
June 8, 2025 at 10:41 AM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
It's been a while, but here's a watercolour for #SundayFishSketch 😀
I chose the harlequin rasbora fish, a throwback to my early days in fishkeeping!
I had one called Bobby and he was such a character ❤️
April 13, 2025 at 5:46 PM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Quick watercolour of a Platy for #SundayFishSketch 🎨🐟
I used to own Platies as a child, so this was a nostalgic one for me!
March 2, 2025 at 1:01 PM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Today's #SundayFishSketch is dedicated to my two black ghost knifefish, Garnet & Amethyst! ❤️ They were so tiny when I first got them, but they became such beautiful giants! They even featured on the BBC in 2019 🤩
I used coloured pencil & watercolour for this piece 🎨
January 26, 2025 at 4:49 PM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
As someone who has spent much time studying freshwater fish, it saddens me that freshwater environments are often overlooked. These environments are incredibly biodiverse yet are inadequately protected. Let's hope change comes soon.

theconversation.com/a-quarter-of...
A quarter of freshwater animals threatened with extinction, finds major new study
Scientists have assessed more than 23,000 species.
theconversation.com
January 10, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Reposted by Dr Sarah Skeels
rspb.bsky.social
Just 1 teaspoon of neonicotinoids can kill 1.25 BILLION bees.

Yesterday, over 1 million voices told the UK Government: stop allowing banned pesticides in our countryside.

DEFRA, it’s time to end ‘emergency’ use.

Protect pollinators vital to nature's recovery & our food security.
A vibrant close-up of a bumblebee feeding on a bright purple thistle flower. The bee's fuzzy black body is adorned with distinctive yellow-orange bands, and its delicate wings glisten in the light. The thistle's spiky green base contrasts sharply with its soft, spindly petals, which are dusted with pollen. It highlights the vital role of pollinators like bumblebees and butterflies.
January 9, 2025 at 2:00 PM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Thought provoking article discussing some of the work I'm currently involved in :)

www.newyorker.com/culture/anna...
Do Insects Feel Pain?
Insects make up about forty per cent of living species, and we tend to kill them without pause. New research explores the possibility that they are sentient.
www.newyorker.com
January 7, 2025 at 12:41 PM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Tomorrow, I'm going to be on the radio talking about crickets! 🦗Expect to hear a blooper of when one escaped during recording! 😂
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
BBC Radio 4 - My Poetry and Other Animals, Flies and Crickets
The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, meets insects, to help inspire a brand new poem.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 29, 2024 at 5:23 PM
sarahzoologist.bsky.social
Hello everyone! Looking forward to sharing more of my science and art with you :D
December 29, 2024 at 4:56 PM