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I snapped a fly in half... still alive after 10 mins?!?

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Key West

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So I killed a common housefly with a wrapped up magazine. Somehow the impact severed the abdomen right off.

The fly is still alive. I don't mean the nerve ending twitching. It is fully and clearly alive, with the half of its body missing. It's walking around rubbing its forehands and actively looking around.

10 minutes later, it's still alive. How does it breathe? The whole cardio system is in the abdomen...
 
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I've seen that with cicadas. I don't know enough about insects as to why. I guess simpler organisms don't REQUIRE as many of their parts to live for short periods of time.
 
The reason why it's still living also explains why we don't have giant insects roaming the earth. House flies, like ants, breathe using a system of minuscule air tubes that extend into the body. Oxygen naturally flows in and carbon dioxide flows out. Making these tubes too long though (image giant insect) will result in tissues in the fly's innards dying off due to lack of oxygen. It's pretty interesting.
 
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