# cockroach that lives after decapitation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093 "2003-07-13T02:39:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ScottHaneda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@ScottHaneda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScottHaneda)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093/1 "2003-07-13T02:39:28Z")
There are these Orkin commercials on TV that claim a cockroach can live a week after having its head chopped off. I can only find reference to this on the internet tha they can actually live several weeks without a head. These are snips printed in a list of other unusual facts, and I suspect could be myths that make their way around the internet. Can someone point me to a site that proves or disproves this, as well as explains how this can be. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093/2 "2003-07-13T02:53:26Z")
Sounds bogus to me, I don`t think cockroaches are well endowed on the brain department, so the lose of whatever trace of brain they have wouldn´t bother much; however, last time I checked other important anathomical contraptions populate the critters head, such as sensory antennae, eyes and it´s little disgusting mouth; the last bears importance because a cockroach withou mouth coulnd´t eat, thus the poor bug would starve and dehidrate pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093/3 "2003-07-13T03:02:27Z")
Cockroaches have nerves in a lot of different places around the body that go directly to the muscle and bypass any central nervous system; little hairs on its body are wired directly to the legs to trigger an escape response when air pressure from an oncoming newspaper is coming. So I suppose if you chop it’s head off it’s possible it could keep running around for a few days. ---
**Author:** ![sharkkiller69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@sharkkiller69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharkkiller69)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093/4 "2003-07-13T04:00:34Z")
I can’t remember the source, but I have heard that a cockroach will live for over a week without its head, until it thirsts to death. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093/5 "2003-07-13T09:50:28Z")
Guinness Records says: > **[Home](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/)** > > The Guinness World Records official site with ultimate record-breaking facts & achievements. Do you want to set a world record? Are you Officially Amazing? [quote] 1. It can live for a month without a head! [/qupte] [http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/roaches/pg000097.html](http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/roaches/pg000097.html) > [@](#): > > A cockroach can live a week without its head. The roach only dies because without a mouth, it can’t drink water and dies of thirst. > [@](#): > > BRAIN: The cockroach brain is spread throughout its body. The head holds a bit of a nervous system, while the rest of the brain is scattered along the ventral (belly-side) part of its body. So, now you understand that if you cut off the head of a roach, it will still live for as long as one week; eventually dying from starvation or thirst. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093/6 "2003-07-13T10:18:46Z")
Also, from [http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/1998/pestroach.html](http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/1998/pestroach.html) > [@](#): > > Along the side of a cockroach’s body are tiny holes called spiracles. Oxygen enters the cockroach through these holes and follows the tiny breathing tubes called tracheae to all of the cockroach’s body parts. > > While a large portion of our nervous system is contained in our heads, cockroaches have only a portion in their heads, most of it is spread throughout their bodies. Along each leg there are clumps of nervous system. That means that a cockroach without a head can still function! It will live until it starves to death or dies of thirst, which can take up to a week. ---
**Author:** ![kuraijo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ea666f/32.png) [@kuraijo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kuraijo)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroach-that-lives-after-decapitation/188093/7 "2003-07-13T12:04:18Z")
If you’re talking in the absence of predator,s I suppose it might be able to. But honestly I don’t really care. When I kill cockroaches I don’t aim to chop off their heads.