Did you know that a cockroach can survive for almost 2 weeks without its head?

In a cockroach, not all bodily functions are controlled from the brain in the head, as is the case with vertebrates like humans. A cockroach has a kind of nervous system that is distributed throughout its entire body. As a result, certain parts of the body are not controlled from the brain in the head. Additionally, a cockroach doesn’t have a heart like we know it; instead, it has a large tube-like blood vessel that runs the length of its body. A cockroach breathes through its skin using small tubes, not through a mouth or nose like vertebrate animals. All of this ensures that if a cockroach loses its head, it continues to live. It eventually dies of starvation because it needs its head to eat.

The photo accompanying this article was taken by Liz West via flickr.com