Originally Posted By: Nato7
Although I'm not much of a fan of zombie films - one question I have is the longevity of a zombie. Film and television portray them as being as resilient as the cockroach.

Mdinana/Paramedicpete please free to correct me on the following:

Depending upon ambient temperature/humidity the human body begins decomposition within about an hour after death. The bacteria in GI tract start to consume the connected tissue while parasites (i.e. insects, bacteria, mold, vermin, and carnivores) commence from the outside.

So, assuming a normal rate of decomposition the zombie would not last much beyond a few months.

If viable, I think it is safe to say that most members on this forum could outlast them.

Yes/no?



That's one thing that's bothers me about the George Romero type walking dead zombies. The energy to power the body has to come from somewhere. Famine victims' bodies break down their own muscle and tissue to provide the fuel needed to keep going. Even allowing for the occasional slow pedestrian, I don't think that a zombie can self sustain for more then a few months before it utilizes it's muscle tissue into immobility (de-animation by metablism). Shorten this time if the zombie isn;t the only thing feeding off its body (decomposition).

The raging human Zombieland type Z's are a whole different story.
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