The Chicken Who Lived Without A Head

A chicken named Mike lived for 18 months after losing his head. Because his brain stem stayed intact and a timely blood clot prevented bleeding, he remained active and healthy for over a year.

Most of a chicken's basic survival functions, like breathing and heart rate, are controlled by the brain stem rather than the forebrain. When the axe missed his main neural core, Mike kept functioning almost as if nothing had happened. His owner even fed him a mixture of water and grain using a dropper directly into his esophagus. He became a traveling sensation and remains a local legend in Colorado today.