1. Is a REANIMATED DEAD body
A zombie is a REANIMATED DEAD body
The Science:
For reasons unknown the bodies of the recently deceased are rising from the grave. This is a zombie. Anyone who dies during a zombie plague returns as the walking dead. The limitation of the risen dead is governed by how decayed that body is at the outbreak of the zombie plague; a skeleton cannot return as there is no muscle and sinew to move the bones, and no brain to drive it. It’s not a virus, not chemicals; it is dead people getting up again.
The Lore:
Nothing can epitomise a zombie more than corpse arms pushing out from the soil of a grave, a dead body sitting up on the mortuary slab, or cadaver clambering out of its coffin. Watch a good zombie film closely and you’ll even see a zombie sporting clues about how it originally died (car crash victim, drug overdose, operating table)
Note about zombie bites
A bite of a zombie does not directly create another zombie – the bite kills its victim but just as any dead body will return to life during a zombie plague, so it is also the case here: victim gets bitten, victim dies, victim then returns to life as the walking dead. The time taken for this varies according to the severity of the bite. A serious attack can result in death and reanimation within minutes whereas a slight nip can take up to a week.
There are three general bite / attack scenarios:
i. Extreme attack: Victim is attacked by a large number of zombie and is pulled to pieces before reanimation is possible
ii. Moderate attack: Victim is killed by zombies but the speed of devouring is slow enough that the body remains intact enough, long enough to achieve reanimation. Since zombies do not eat other zombies (see rule 3), the point at which the corpse becomes a zombie, other zombies lose interest.
iii. Slight attack: Victim escapes with minor injuries only to succumb to death and zombification over a longer period.
Further note about zombie bites and infections
Question: “if you are bitten by a “zombie”…and there is no virus or chemical that causes the dead to rise, why do you die if bitten?”
An infection does not have to be virus, poison or chemical based – it is possible to get a bacterial based infection from a rusty nail. Also, consider Komodo dragons; these are huge lizards that have around 50 different strains of bacteria in the saliva of their filthy mouths. After biting their prey they release it then wait for it to die of the severe infection. The zombie bite is similar in that a zombie mouth is, as you can imagine, an extremely dirty, germ ridden place. The microbes living in a zombie mouth will be passed into the blood stream of a living human in the even of a bit, leading to fatal consequences.
About the bite theory; I am not quite understanding the theory, or lore on the page concerning the bites. One, of the things I was curious about is that supposedly, the cause is not a chemical or virus. Now, technically, if you are bitten by a “zombie” or the animated dead, and there is no virus or chemical that causes the dead to rise, why do you die if bitten? Human bites, whether dead or alive, if there is no chemical or virus to transfer and cause tht change, should NOT cause death in the case where a single or even multiple bites on an attack victim. The bite victim should be able to survive if there is nothing to prompt death, such as, a virus or chemical which speeds along death. As long as the bite is treated and not too much blood is lost…I see no reason why the person would die from a bite if the cause is not a chemical or virus. Sorry for rambling.
But, really…Zombies are for films, so the purpose of being bitten is for dramatic use!
Hmm. I think I’ll stick with the Max Brooks Solanum theory. It makes more sense. But then again when was there any sense in a Zombie Otubreak?
I was wondering….is there any case in which a zombie can bite and kill someone…and they NOT be reanimated? Are there different classes of zombies…such as a kind that comes out of its grave on a particular date….every 20, 30, 50, or 100 years? Could it be that these possible “centennial” zombies would not in fact be contagious but would only kill. Then after killing thier prey and dissappearing (after making havoc for thier alotted day) they wait another certain amount of years? Is this rediculous…or is there a kind of zombie out there like this already.
hmmm…. I doubt it but it would make a good movie. REANIMATED CORPSES FOREVER!
there are three key types of zombies, iron eaters, savage eaters, and finnally head cases. An iron eater is most commonly mistaken for a vampire. these are reanimated corpses that do not consume the body of their victum but instead feast on the bodies blood (for the bloods iron content), these are rare but have been documented. the only way to create another of this type is to have a victum bitten but not feasted on. Second are the savage eaters, these are the ones most offten dipicted in zombie films those that chace and violently kill the prey. Finnally we come to the head cases these are the Return of the Living Dead variety they crave brains for some unknown reason. These are the three key types of zombies known today
There appears to be many corelations between rabies and a zombie infection. In both cases, the disease is transmitted thru contaminated saliva, leads to dementia and the collapse of higher brain function, as well as numerous secondary infections.
You said that anyone who dies during a zombie plauge turns into a zombie regardless of if they are bitten or not. In Dawn of the Dead a bunch of people died of other things besides zombie bites and they never got back up. Might want to re-think it
in the land of the dead. it is said that whether you are bitten or not.if you die you become a zombie. this suggest that it is either airborne or somehow it is allready in us like cancer or somethig. and one more thing unless your a mole your not digging yourself through 6 feet of dirt.
u guys are friggin retarded if u get bit by one,there is a virus that slowly “kills” u and whenever the body is completely dead the brain is mutated from the effect of the virus, then the brain still being alive will be able to control the body just like we can, but the body is phisically dead, so the nerves are not able to feel pain, so that is y u gotta destroy the brain, because without it its just a corpse. like, say a zombie bites somebody then their head is removed before reanimation, then they will not come back to life, because the brain is no longer connected. also if the body is already dead and it has the virus, it will not become a zombie, for it doesnt bring new life only actually changes it, so if there was a corpse underground, that somehow got it in its system,it would have to be still alive(buried alive aaah)to become a zombie, and then only if it hears(or senses something by some other means)will it even try to dig out of its grave.
and no there are NOT any different kinds of zombies, only one they are ravenenous creatures, with no feelings or emotions whatsoever, they live only to kill, eat, and reproduce their own kind by infecting humans with the virus.
because they act and look like living, walking corpses, doesnt actually make them “living dead” but merely are mutated forms of the human being, and perhaps, if the human being were not as evolved as it is, could feel no pain, and could live as long as they hav a brain because they hav absolutely NO physical needs except to feed(btw they could “live” for only 3-5 years without food, but actually could literally die permanantly if they are left somewhere undisturbed with no contact with any other things to feed on)(and also zombies will resort to cannibalism of their own kind if they hav not eaten for a 1.5 year period)they would probably be exactly like a zombie, but since we are so advanced, and do not hav those abilities, we would if i could remember wat i was going to originaly tell u before i got caught up in telling u off this would be 3 or 4 times longer.
This Concludes the message
“The Hunter”
Ok check this out. If an individual were to be infected by whatever the offending organism may be I’d give ‘em a couple days at the most. More likely a period of hours. Decay sets in pretty rapidly in those situaions, and if you’re basically all rotten & whatnot that infection will quickly get in the blood and make it to the brain, which is going to rot too… and then you got a big ol stinky rotten chunk of meat which I doubt would be capable of controlling much of anything, let alone eating a brain. So I say live it up for those 2 hours to 2 days, maybe stretch it out with some antibiotics and a shunt here and there for all the moldy puss, and eat some brains.
Braaiaiaaiaaaaiinszsssss…
Not to step on anyones toes, but…there maybe some truth in that 3 class zombie subject. In Romeros’ Dawn of the Dead there are shots of zombies trying to eat electrical appliances, now to me that says that the dead sense,smell or are attracted to the iron in the metal and are trying to extract it. Now i could be wrong, but just think about it.
ths page really backs up my theory tht zombies r caused by sum kind of parasite tht is transmitted by th bite, a zombie really cud not be created from simply dead flesh,
th RE theory kind of makes sense but it lacks non-sci-fi backup. so i really think tht in all movies th cause of millions of zombies is th human ability to escape, tht or moderate attacks r much more common than th scenes where a character in th movie is torn to pieces
If were saying a Zombie bite has no other special chemical or whatever properties than transmiting a bacterial infection, well, isn’t that like treatable with anti-biotics or something…? Kinda takes the wow factor outa it, ‘Oh crap, i just got bitten by a zombie, im so de… oh no wait, i’ll just go see my local GP and get some anti-biotics, never mind!’ In my own personal opinion a blood borne virus sounds way cooler. But meh, thats just me
It sounds like you are either assuming that there is no explanation (the author of the page) or that this is a “scientific” explanation (almost every post). Suppose that the outbreak is supernatural in nature. Perhaps the bite could be a form of claiming a person for their master. Or the necromancer could instead be choosing to raise all the resent dead.
http://www.badspiderbites.com/brown-recluse-spider-bite.php
Instead of a flesh infection, it could infect the blood and travel throughout the body much quicker… As for antibiotics, if it was similar to AIDS – antibiotics wouldn’t do shit.
give me a moment as i am sure you all are rolling your eyes and groaning LOL in all seriousness, if i may be so frank…zombies and the fact of people as far back as ancient times (voodoo/wwII bio-trades with viruses that actually reanimates living tissue/the frankenstein monster/ even the outbreaks of rabies and spider bites) tried and still try to reanimate the human body, scares the living Hell out of me. i love the movies, corny or not, but the fact that gene splicing and these things actually DO go on…it is scary.
But, the only proof i have of this not happening is that we are not going “rise from our graves” until Judgement Day. In conclusion…”scientists” need to stop. you’re intended you have one leg…live with it…don’t trust spliced or “reanimated” tissue.
i apologize for rambling…but, i’d like to just have my zombie on screen…with a live person underneath make-up and a bowl of popcorn.
Thanks to those who understand my sideview of these things.
I would like to add that it is quite impossible for a zombie to ‘rise from it’s grave’.
Reanimating after death? Certainly.
Rising in a morgue, sure.
Hell, even rising at the funeral, okay by me. But reanimating and ::escaping from it’s grave:: like in ROTLD, No. Emphatically no. First,there is escaping the coffin to contend with. Impossible due to the lack of levrage the zombie would have to work with. Even if the zombie could free itself from the coffin, six feet of earth is VERY heavy. I’m not sure of the exact weight, but at least a ton or so. Not the best situation for rising.
In regards to, “In the land of the dead. it is said that whether you are bitten or not.if you die you become a zombie. this suggest that it is either airborne or somehow it is already in us like cancer or something. ”
Can someone point me to where this is stated in the movie? I didn’t see that.
The guy that hung himself did so because he had been bitten, and then he reanimated.
interesting examination however we will never truly know until it happens… get your guns and machettes… i personally think it would be SAWEET to see a reanimated skeleton…. and how can a corpse reanimate especially since during the embalming process the brain is removed? the world may never know. but they’ll probably find out soon enough XD
You should definitely change it to accommodate the other types of zombies. Really, all zombies could not be chalked up to “every dead being rises up as a zombie”. And stating your explanation as fact makes you look asinine. To me, there are two major categories of zombies: 1) Supernatural (Dawn of the Dead and other Romero movies) and 2) Bacterial/parasitic/viral (Resident Evil, 28 Days Later, Max Brooks).
In one of my favourite youtube documentairies (How to survive a zombie apocalypse) they made me think about a theory they said. The Russian government, the American government and the Chinese government were wworking on a bacterial lifeform that reanimates the human lifesigns. As soon as the bacterial sign enter the body, they die in the body, leaving a virus in the mouth, brain and muscles. The brain, in that situation mostly dead meat, will reanimate itself leaving the only thing they need to survive as their first objective. The need to feed. This way the governments could create a super soldier wich could die and rise up again. Zombies nerve systems do not work. Their Bones are weak and the only thing that makes them move is their brain (wich has a minor control over the muscles) and their hunger for fresh meat, wich drives them forth.
Offcourse i know that zombies wouldnt exist, but how long is it gonna take before the government are making a super soldier ”cure”? Everything is possible in this world.
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a couple friends and i had a conversation about whether or not a head shot should actually kill a zombie (we have all read max brooks The Zombie Survival Guide), one friend argued yes it should if you shoot a human with a 22. it would leave a hole in the persons brain the size of a quarter minus all the dmg from the skull being blown in and having the effect of shrapnal and know one can live with a hole that big in there brain…the other agreed and left it at that….i argued we aren’t talking about humans we’re talking about zombie, undead killing machines….that may be the effect on a human but what says if you shoot something that’s already dead in the face its going to fall over dead again…i mean the only way i can think that you could kill one is to get rid of the body completely, so i am wondering if there is any one else that has thought of this or if its just a dumb idea….
If zombies can just walk around in normal weather how would the unread react in the freezeing weather and say they froze would they be like frozen food that when the weather warmed up they would be fresh and ready to feed again and what would actually cause a zombie to be reanimated i understand that it would be some kind of virtual infection but how would it reanimate the already dead if they can’t breathe it in or get bitten and what about rigamortis wouldn’t that stop them eventually…..i love the idea of zombies but i want to understand them better
max brooks seems to suggest the state of undeath as being caused by a flora-a living plant or bacteria consider the name “solanum” is the genus of plant in which tomatoes reside. therefore if he is right it is neither virus or chemical means that cause the zombies because viruses are not living things like bacteria or flora are. seems like a big clusterfuck of ideas you see kind of a cross between m night shamalan and romero plants cause the zombification perhaps through spores or pollen in response to a threat. consider “the happening” poorly made movie with a realistic however pheasable plot. plants start to defend themselves against humans by releasing chemical defenses. whos to say that over time tomatoes decided they were tired of being eaten so they produced a chemical which bonded with a bacteria and became a newly molded bacteria(which is a property of bacteria) whos primary purpose was to cause humans to eat each other instead of said tomatoes. Just saying for shits and giggle( mostly giggles lol) it is actually pheasable considering the name of the “solanum”
i have one question. If zombies have the NEED to feed, but all bodily functions are dead, how are they able to “digest” the flesh they have devoured if the dead body does not produce the stomach acid needed to digest? because all zombies do is eat, but where does it all go? people need to understand that even if the body reanimates, nature still needs to do its thing such as rigor mortis, which would prevent any movement of the zombie for 1-3days. Reanimating a little but after dying doesnt make any sense