It has been said that after a nuclear holocaust which wiped out almost all life, the cockroach would survive. In the face of extreme climate change, the cockroach will emerge as the winner.
According to New Scientist Life (Shanta Barley, 2009), they can stop breathing for 40 minutes to preserve water.
As further evidence of their tenacity, Scientific American (Charles Choi, 2007) argued that they can even live without their heads for some time.
Several weeks, in fact. It’s all to do with their breathing systems and ability to exist on little food.
The point is that the roach is the ultimate symbol of survival against what seem like impossible (human) odds.