Cockroaches are infamous for their survival skills. They breathe through tiny holes in their body segments and have decentralised nervous system. This makes them live for up to a week without their heads.
Flatworms are tiny freshwater creatures that are known to regenerate. If sliced one in half, even through the head, both its parts regrow into complete organisms. Not only can they survive without a head, but they can grow a new one, complete with memory retention.
Females sometimes eat the male's head during copulation, yet the male continues the act, seeming unbothered. This happens as their reflexive motor functions remain active without brain input.
Starfish have a remarkable decentralised nervous system. If one of their arms is severed, it may continue to move on its own. In some species, even a single arm can regenerate an entire body, including head.
Leeches are often used in medical science for their anticoagulant properties. They're also masters of bodily resilience. Some can continue moving, reacting to stimuli, and even attaching to surfaces long after being decapitated.
It's a tale as old as barnyards, chickens running around with their heads cut off. But it's not just a myth. This occurs as they have a low low brain-to-body ratio, and many of their basic motor functions are controlled by the brain stem, located lower in the neck than most of the actual brain.
Octopuses have two-thirds of their neurons located in their arms. They exhibit complex reflexes even after being separated from their body. Detached limbs can continue to crawl, grasp, and react to their surroundings for hours.
Scientists have observed that some headless flies can continue to perform basic motor functions, like walking or moving their wings, for short periods. This offers nsight into how much coordination is controlled outside the brain.
Snakes can display post-decapitation reflexes. Even after losing their heads, their bodies may continue to writhe or coil. The severed heads, especially of venomous species, can still deliver a bite for several hours post-mortem due to remaining nerve activity.