One reason the cockroach may live without its head 

Thekabarnews.com—We might wonder why a cockroach can live for a week without its head, but this is not true. Cockroaches can do this unusual thing because they do not require their heads to breathe. 

They do not have mouths; instead, they breathe through tiny holes in their bodies called spiracles. These spiracles can still work even after the head is cut off, so breathing can still happen. 

The nervous system of a cockroach is not only in its brain. It is spread out in groups of nerve cells all over the body, allowing critical movements and reflexes to happen even without the head. 

This decentralized setup means that removing the skull does not immediately stop vital body functions, which is different from most animals. But it seems that this strength has some limits. 

Without its head, a cockroach can not eat or drink. It also loses the ability to govern processes that are necessary for long-term survival. Consequently, the cockroach typically succumbs to thirst instead of physical harm. 

The fact that scientists have found these traits illustrates how tough and flexible cockroaches are. They are among the strongest living things on Earth, having survived significant changes in the environment and extinctions for hundreds of millions of years.