5 Animals That Don’t Die Immediately: Fascinating Survival Strategies ,The Turritopsis dohrnii is a small jellyfish that can age backwards. When their survival is threatened by injury or starvation, they will turn into a polyp – early stage of development. Eventually, the polyps will bloom back into genetically identical jellyfish.
Death will come for us all; whatever T. dohrnii isn’t the only animal that can slow him down. A few animals continue to move or function for a short time – after what seems like certain death.
1. Chickens
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In 1945, a chicken named Mike lived 18 months after a failed beheading. Mike’s owner didn’t cut the chicken’s neck low enough, which left part of its brain stem intact, allowing Mike to go on with his life. The owner named him and cared for Mike until he died.
While Mike’s long life without his head was an anomaly, chickens have been known to continue flapping their wings and running after losing their heads. Decapitation triggers nerve endings in their necks and sends electricity through their nerves into their muscles – prompting them to move. Also, if their head is not removed below the eyes, part of the brain will remainwhich allows them to breathe and maintain motor functions.
2. Octopus
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With about 500 neurons, octopus compares brainpower to a dog. They have nine brains, including a central one in the head and a smaller one in each limb. Due to their nervous activity, the limbs will continue to squirm or move and respond to stimuli for up to an hour when removed.
Octopuses are natal, meaning they only mate or breed once in their lifetime and then die. Males die within a few months of mating, while females live until they lay their eggs, at which point they Stop eating and have also been known to mutilate themselves.
More about Octopuses:
- Research has found that octopuses are curious, sensitive and even playful. But could they minds like ours?
- By having more neurons in their hands than in their heads, how an octopus perceive The world?
- To keep in line, some octopuses will throw debris at others using ajet water.
3. Cockroaches
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They say that if there was a nuclear war, cockroaches would be the only thing that would survive. This is because they can thrive in conditions where other organisms cannot. They will eat almost anything; can survive temperatures up to 120 degrees or down to 15 degrees; and can go for long periods without food or water.
Their durability continues even after decapitation. Cockroach body can survive for up to two weeks without his head. They don’t have a complex system of blood vessels, so when they lose their head, the neck clots and they won’t bleed to death. The body can still move, stand and react. Their heads can also survive separation from the body, moving their antennae for hours.
4. Snakes
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You might think a decapitated snake wouldn’t pose a threat, but when a Texas man decapitated a diamondback rattlesnake with a shovel, he got a nasty shock. As he went to throw the head away, it bit his arm, nearly killing him with a massive amount of poison. Although it sounds like something out of a zombie movie, it really comes down to a snake physiology.
Snakes are cold-blooded animals called ectotherms that rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature. Because they need less energy and oxygen, their brains can survive longer and continue to move and even attack after their head and body are separated. In contrast, warm-blooded animals experience cell death rapidly after decapitation due to loss of oxygen.
Read more: Are people still conscious for a short time after beheading?
5. Turtles and Tortoises
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Turtles have slow metabolism, which helps sustain their organs for long periods and makes their long lives possible. They need little food and their slow movements do not use much energy. Their brains require small amounts of oxygen and can function for days, weeks, or even longer without oxygen.
In a 17th century experiment, the Italian doctor Francesco Redi extracted the brain of a turtle. It lived another six months. Then Reddy removed the turtle’s head; shockingly, it stayed alive for almost another month. This led the researchers to believe that the turtles’ movements were controlled by muscle memory. Another unusual characteristic of turtles is that their hearts will continue beating for up to 12 hours after removal from their body.