Have you heard the story of headless chicken?

Surely you've heard of the legendary headless mule, haven't you? But have you ever heard of Mike, the headless chicken? Because this incredible animal really existed, and even had its story told by renowned publications such as Time magazine, Life and even the BBC. And as if that wasn't enough, Mike even has an official website!

According to the information on the site, Mike lived for almost two years - 18 months without his head! - in the 40's in the city of Fruita, Colorado. The chicken belonged to the couple Clara and Lloyd Olsen and eventually lost its "crest" when it was beheaded to become stew. But how is it possible that a bird survived for so long without its head?

Neck meat

Image Source: Playback / TIME

In order to preserve as much of Mike's neck as possible - after all, people like neck meat! - Lloyd made the cut very close to the base of the head. But imagine the man's fright when, hours after he beheaded the poor chicken, he found the sleeping animal in its nest with its head under its wing!

As you might imagine, the chickens nervous system is not that evolutionary wonder there. Due to the angle at which the cut was made, luckily most of Mike's brain stem was preserved - in chickens, most reflex actions are precisely controlled by this region. In addition, the left ear and the jugular ear were also preserved, and a providential clot prevented Mike from bleeding to death.

Master's Cut

Because the chicken obviously refused to die, Lloyd decided to keep the bird alive by using a dropper to keep Mike well fed and hydrated. Incredibly, the headless chicken survived 18 months and even gained 2.5 pounds in weight. And of course the miracle bird became a true celebrity: people paid 25 cents to see Mike with their own eyes.

At the time, the headless chicken traveled all over the United States, being presented as a freak and having the "neck" secured for $ 10, 000. However, during one of his tours, Mike eventually choked, finally suffocating to death with some particle tangled in his esophagus.