A cockroach can stay alive for a while without its head: Here’s how
You might have been scared to the bone by those creepy, crawly cockroaches at some point of time in your life for sure! You may hate them or jump at the mere sight of them. Well, these tough ancient creatures have been around since the dinosaur age. They can survive the most unfavourable of situations. Believe it or not, cockroaches can stay alive even without their heads for some time! It's crazy but true! Sadly, we can't say the same thing for humans! Let us dive into some other incredible facts about these sturdy creatures and how it's possible for cockroaches to stay alive without their heads!
They don't bleed after losing their head
Unlike humans, when cockroaches lose their heads, they don't bleed. They too have blood in their system. So why don't they bleed? The answer lies in their blood itself. Our blood has clotting factors that help the blood clot and stop from flowing, like when you have a wound and the bleeding stops after a while. However, when a cockroach loses its head, the body treats it like just another wound, and the blood will eventually clot (solidify), closing the neck opening. This is how the blood stays in the body and the cockroaches don't bleed to death. This is a feature that helps cockroaches survive!
They don't suffocate
Human beings have a closed circulatory system. Our blood carries the oxygen we inhale to the rest of our organs through closed tubes, and it never leaks out of these tubes. Cockroaches have an open blood circulation, which means they don't rely on tubes to carry blood or oxygen to the rest of the body. Because of this, they do not have to breathe through their mouths or nose. Instead, they have tiny holes on their body called spiracles. They breathe through these tiny holes. Therefore, cutting off their head does not cut off their oxygen supply. Also, these spiracles are not dependent on the brain for their functioning. So, cutting the head does not stop the cockroach from getting oxygen. The spiracles can supply blood directly to the body tissues. So, they don't suffocate and die after losing their heads. Another reason for surviving after losing the head!
You can't starve a cockroach
Human beings are warm-blooded animals. A lot of the food we eat is used to help keep our bodies warm. In contrast, cockroaches are cold-blooded animals, which means they do not require food to keep their bodies warm. Less energy is spent, meaning more is reserved and stored in the body. Cockroaches can survive without food for months! Therefore it is said that you can't starve a cockroach, as they can get by on less to no food for days! Another reason they survive without a head is that they don't need to eat for months! This doesn't mean the cockroaches are invincible! So, what can kill these nasty creatures? Let us find out!
They die because of thirst
A cockroach might not die of bleeding or lack of oxygen or food, but it eventually dies of thirst! Cutting a cockroach's head means it does not have a mouth to drink. Dehydration (lack of water in the body) is what kills a cockroach. Without water, a cockroach will die in seven days!
Head or no head, nobody wants cockroaches in their homes. So next time you see a headless cockroach, don't assume it's dead. It might as well be alive!