Cockroaches can survive for several weeks without their heads, ultimately dying only of dehydration because they no longer have a mouth to drink water.

A closer look

Cockroaches can survive for several weeks without their heads, ultimately dying only of dehydration because they no longer have a mouth to drink water. They breathe through tiny spiracles located along their body segments, and their decentralized nervous system means they do not actually need a brain to perform basic motor functions like walking or reacting to stimuli. Furthermore, the wound instantly clots, preventing them from bleeding out after decapitation. It is absolutely infuriating to realize that the most disgusting household pest known to humanity is so biologically resilient that completely removing its head only slightly inconveniences its schedule, making our reliance on a single, highly vulnerable brain stem look like a terrible evolutionary mistake