We present to you the story of “Miracle Mike,' a chicken who lived for 18 months with his head cut off in the 1940s.
A photograph shows"Miracle Mike," a chicken that survived 18 months after his head was cut off.This is a genuine photograph of Mike the Headless Chicken . While Miracle Mike truly survived after most of his head was cut off, it should be noted that part of Mike's brain was still intact.
In 2014, Dr. Wayne J. Kuenzel, a poultry physiologist and neurobiologist at the University of Arkansas, talked to Modern Farmer about how Mike was able to survive this ordeal. Kuenzel explained that vital functions, such as breathing, as well as motor functions, are controlled by the cerebellum and brain stem, which are both located at the bottom of the chicken's brain. When Mike's head was chopped up, these parts were still intact which allowed Mike to survive.