Yessss! The explanation for this bizarre phenomenon is simple: the cockroach’s main vital structures are not in the head. The heart is a vessel extended along the animal’s back. The nervous system is spread across the abdomen. And more importantly: cockroaches breathe through structures called spiracles, a series of small pores distributed along the body that keep the air in and out smoothly. In addition, the disgusting has a blood pressure much lower than that of mammals. Therefore, when she is decapitated, there is no loss of blood that compromises her survival. “All these factors together can make a cockroach live for a month without being cut off”, says biologist Joseph Kunkel, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in the United States. Of course, without her head, the poor thing won’t be able to do much: she’ll lose her eyes, her brain and, above all, her mouth. Therefore, the cockroach will have to make do with the last food it sent inside – the food can provide energy for up to 30 days. Afterwards, the motherfucker finally starves to death. As crazy as it sounds, this gift of living without a head is not the only ability of this true heroine of the resistance. The cockroach withstands several slaps (the chitin carcass is super hard) and manages to regenerate torn off legs in a few days. Not to mention that some species can withstand spending more than half an hour under water. Paleontological research indicates that the ancestors of cockroaches already inhabited our planet more than 300 million years ago. Today, there are more than 3,500 species spread around the world, reproducing at an enormous speed: a couple of cockroaches can generate up to 100,000 descendants in the period of one year! That’s why it’s so hard to get rid of them.
WHAT DO THEY EAT?
Of everything. The “cheap” menu has room for leftover animal or vegetable food, paper, clothes and even wood. Generally, they go out to have a snack at night, as they are nocturnal animals. If you don’t have food, that’s fine: cockroaches can go up to a month without food and several days without drinking water.
CAN THEY SWIM?
Some species can. Certain types of cockroaches are aquatic and have plenty of breath, staying submerged for up to 40 minutes! In general, the preferred home of these insects are humid places with a warm climate. Despite this, they are found in all regions of the planet, except in the polar ice caps.
HOW LONG DO THEY LIVE?
That depends on the species. The most common in cities, the so-called “sewage” cockroach (Periplaneta americana), can plague our lives for up to three years! Another species that sometimes shows up in urban centers, the “French” or “German” (Blatella germanica), lasts a little over a year.
ARE THERE ALBIN COCKROACHES?
No, this is legend. It turns out that sometimes cockroaches shed their “hull” – which scientists call an exoskeleton. In these situations, the hull that is being born is more whitish. But after a few days, when the shedding process is complete, the exoskeleton returns to its normal color: brown, brown or black.
ARE THERE MORE COCKROACHES THAN PEOPLE?
Oh, no doubt! Although until today no one has calculated the world population of this insect, a survey recently carried out in Greater São Paulo revealed that there are 200 cockroaches for every resident of the region. After all, the region would be infested by 3.5 billion insects. Yuck!
WHY DO THEY DIE WITH THEIR LEGS IN THE AIR?
Because the insecticides used to kill them have a component that causes muscle spasms. With their motor coordination compromised by the action of the poison, they start to tremble, they can’t turn away and end up going to the bag in the «hands up» style.
WHICH IS THE BIGGEST?
They are the cockroaches of the genus Megaloblatta, which measure 10 centimeters and live in South and Central America. In these species – by the way, as in most others – the females are larger than the males. The only advantage of males is to have more developed wings than females.
CAN THEY HOLD NUCLEAR BOMBS?
More or less. To withstand a nuclear hecatomb, the cockroaches would have to be far from the bomb’s center of action. Otherwise, they would burn to death. If they ran away from the explosion, the big advantage would be the flat and small body. This would allow them to take shelter in small crevices, protecting themselves from the strongest radiation.