Posted: 10/16/2007 3:30:01 PM EDT
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I am totally zombie ignorant and feel that I must improve on my knowledge of the reanimated dead. One crucial question I have for my zombie SHTF planning is the life, or "unlife" expectency of zombies? Do zombies begin to decompose like a normal human corpse at the time of death? Do zombies suffer from rigor mortis? If zombies decompose, then won't their limbs fall off eventually or thier brains rot enough to kill them? Can zombies eat food/flesh and prolong their undeadness? Is a zombie outbreak going to be a long-term or short term SHTF situation. Help me, I'm losing sleep. |
A. 28 Days/Weeks WAS NOT about zombies. B. Zombies do not need food. They only eat because it is a basic insting that is still functional in the brain after they turn. Zombies can go for a long time. They do not need to feed, it's only instinct. |
That is the conventional wisdom. However, I don't view zombies as perpetual motion machines. It's just not possible for a zombie or any other mechanism to expend energy forever without taking in fuel. I think that a zombie that is constantly moving would not last long (how long I can't say). A zombie sitting motionless could last a very long time. |
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I really don't get why people post about this stupid shit. Frankenstien is in the swamp and ET is still trying to phone home. There is a whole life out there that doen't involve computers or TV. This is nothing more than entertainment. Go out and get a breath of fresh air. |
Party pooper. 
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You, sir, fail at teh ARFCOMs. I think you should leave now... |
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So will the climate make a big difference? In a tropical climate, organic tissue will decompose quite a bit faster due to temp and humidity. Also, there are many more insects (maggots, etc) to eat the flesh. I'd be inclined to think that a zombie could only last a few days, maybe a few weeks. I've seen a few dead bodies in my day. My dad used to work in a morgue, and he said that a body left outside for a few days has the skin degloving and the bowels are mush. Moving a bloated body will make it rupture open, and the abdomen rips open like a bursting trash bag. This zombie thing has me very distracted. |
I can't get out, I'm stuck in front of a computer working. I post on Arfcom when I hit a block and need to clear my mind. And another thought: a frozen zombie could theoretically last forever I suppose. |
Animals and insects do not eat or even come close to zombies. Microbes and bacteria will, but they are affected by the virus too, so their job in the decomp is slowed, almost to a complete stop. |
As per the zombie survival guide zombies do not need food to survive. They also do not decompose normally. The normal bacteria and decomposing microbes do not eat zombie flesh, so they can last several years though they do eventually decompose.
Climate does make a big difference. Usually rain forest bound zombies will decompose in under years, zombies in dry climate can last upwards 10 years however the median unlife expectancy is about 5 years. |
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The virus that causes the zombie disease (which has become known as the “solanium” virus) drastically alters the chemical makeup of the host’s cells. The cells essentially “die” in the sense that they lose most life functions. Zombie cells are incapable of reproduction (making zombie healing impossible) and they no longer exhibit any normal metabolic processes. As a result of this conversion, zombified tissue is extremely toxic to all known forms of life from bacteria to mammals and birds. Animals seem to instinctively know this, and will not eat infected tissue. The zombietoxin in the tissue acts as a preservative preventing any normal bacterial decay. (It does appear that some microorganisms can slowly attack zombie flesh. Perhaps exposed and damaged cells lose their toxicity over time.) For years, one of the big mysteries was the zombie’s source of energy. Energy has to come from somewhere, it can’t be created out of nothing. Zombies can’t breathe and don’t have a functioning circulatory system. This eliminated the conventional chemical sources of energy that normal life uses. According to recent research, the zombie’s motive power seems to come from a hydrogen > hydrino reaction that takes place at a very slow rate in the zombie’s cells. Since this is a very energetic reaction and zombies don’t use much energy to move to begin with, the zombified cells can function for a very long time on their existing hydrogen stores. Initial calculations show that zombies could remain functional for centuries based on their energy usage. (no work has been done on the new “fast zombies” but even at a full run it looks like they would have enough energy to keep going for decades.) But even with plenty of energy and without any immediate concerns for bacterial decay, zombies can only last for so long. Tissue breaks down over time, especially with use. The elements and minor (unnoticed) injuries take their toll. In hot wet climates, an active zombie might only remain functional for a few months or a year. An inactive zombie that was trapped indoors can still be a threat decades later. Incidentally, the zombie’s behavior is solely centered on spreading the virus through biting uninfected victims. The virus can apparently access and modify the most primitive forms of human behavior (walk, grab, bite) and does so to compel the formerly living host to walk towards the uninfected, grab them, and bite them. These basic behaviors are all that’s left of the host’s consciousness but they still reside in what’s left of the brain. That’s why it’s necessary to destroy the brain to stop a zombie. |
| You are correct sir!! In 28 days later the virus rage was based on an American bio-weapon Rabies 4 takes only 24-48 hours to become rabid. Life span 7-10 days. Spreads through bite or fluid transfer. Infected feel little or no pain similar to pcp user. Kill infected by any normal kill shot. |
THANK YOU!!! FINALLY!!!! Fuck, why is this so fucking HARD for people?!?! 
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Hey, the Director's commentary of both 28 Days and 28 Weeks all make reference to them as zombies. The infected are just modern realistic zombies. Either way you don't have to feel bad about shooting them, because its not murder. 
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No way in hell would I use an AR for a zombie gun. I'm not going to bet my life to a lowest bidder, clean it every day or you're up shit creek, firearm. I'll stick with my M1A thanks... |
They need muscle tissue or they couldn't move zombie or no zombie without the contraction of muscles they aint going nowhere. |
Zombie chow. |
Both are overkill for zombies. all you need is a 9mm |
Sure, you're trying to get us to go outside where the Zombies can surround us. Nice try, you Umbrella Corp. lacky. |
Screw that there is like no range with a 9mm, I don't want to get that close if I can avoid it. |
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Again, I wouldn't trust my life to a pussy ass round like 9mm. Why would I trust my life that is, at best, only 86% effective against the human body? I wouldn't .308 WIN and .45 ACP for this boy. |
  Wish I thought of that one! Well played!
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Yeah, and folks thought that there would never be AIDS and I don't know of anyone who saw Ebola or H5n1 or SARS or...well I could go on and on. What are we averaging about one major new disease every five years popping up? About 25% of the deaths world wide last year were caused by viral outbreaks so thats not counting bacteria or parasites. So how far fetched is a zombie apocalypse?  Face it mankind has it coming. |
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There are a lot of variables that will dictate on how long a zombie will continue to be undead. Climate can play a large roll, dryer enviroments can cause a malnourished zombie to dry out and crumble. Moist climates can speed up the decaying process, turning organs and flesh into ooze. And constantly cold environments, they can last even longer, assuming it isn't so cold that they shatter during movement. As they do not retain any body heat. Then there are also other things that can also determine un-life expectancy. Body weight and muscle mass can also play a large role. Even political preference can determine the longevity of the walking dead, Seeing how a liberal Zombie has less brains to begin with, that is less to rot naturally. Averages of zombie un-life expectancy can generally be around 3-5 years, from the time of infection to the time of re-death. |