Zombie preparation and Defense
Characteristics of the infected
First off, let’s list off some characteristics of zombies:
Mobile but technically dead, without a heartbeat or other vital signs
In a decaying state, with discolored skin and eyes
Non-communicative, groaning and howling instead of speaking
Unemotional, with no mercy toward victims
Hungry for human flesh(zombies ignore animals like cats or dogs, but no one can quite figure out why)
Clumsy and violent
Vulnerable to destruction of the brain
Unaffected by injuries, even normally fatal ones, as long as they don’t hurt the brain too much
Contagious, a germ from a bite causes zombies
Does not attack other zombies, leading to swarms of zombies
Physical abilities
Strength
Zombies are not superhuman. They are all bound to the same Earthly laws and physical traits that define the person they once were. For example, a blind man who becomes infected will produce a blind zombie; a particularly weak person will result in a particularly weak zombie. The thing that sets us apart from zombies is their inability to feel. This refers to both feeling in mental form (i.e., emotions) and physical form (i.e., pain).
Because zombies are without feeling, they are able to push themselves much harder than the average person, far beyond what we would consider to be “the breaking point”.
If you were trying to move a heavy object obstructing your path, you would begin to exert force on that object in the hopes of moving it. If the object were too heavy, you would be forced to stop due to fatigue or physical injury. These feeling of fatigue and injury are not felt by zombies however. If a zombie were to attempt to move the same heavy object out of its way, it would continue to do so until either the object was moved, or it was rendered physically incapable of moving the object. Very often zombies are seen with injuries such as dislocated joints, broken bones, and severe muscle or tissue damage. This is usually the result of the zombie attempting to perform feats beyond what its body is capable of. Without the benefit of a working immune system, or regeneration of any kind, the injuries that a zombie sustains (either self-inflicted or otherwise) are permanent, and will last until the zombie expires. So, a zombie’s greatest advantage over us may possibly be their biggest disadvantage.
Agility
Zombies possess the same physical abilities we all possess as human beings. One tends to wonder why they are so incapable of running, or dodging and blocking incoming attacks. The correct answer is that they possess the ABILITY to perform these tasks, but lack the coordination required to PROPERLY execute those tasks. We take walking for granted. A lot goes into each step we take. From your foot to your head there are literally hundreds of subtle muscle movements. Balance and terrain are also taken into account, along with dozens of other factors. All this information is calculated instantaneously by our brains, and we take a step. This information is poorly calculated by a zombie’s vastly more simple brain, thus rendering them unable to properly balance or take steps in rapid succession (e.g. running) giving them a more “shuffle” like appearance to their movement. For these same reasons, zombies are completely incapable of jumping or balancing on a narrow surface. They also appear to be poor at side stepping, and backing up, which typically ends with them falling to the ground. Zombies are also unable to swim, and can only float for a short period of time before becoming water logged and sinking to the bottom, they can however remain intact at the bottom of the ocean for a fairly long time before ceasing to function.
Senses:
Smell
Zombies do not necessarily have a better sense of smell than your average human. They just rely more heavily on it, making them far more aware of odors around them. Oftentimes people seeking refuge from zombies are sniffed out rather than spotted or heard. The systems responsible for the sense of smell are buried deep inside the head near the brain, typically making smell the last sense to diminish due to decay or damage.
Sight
Zombies have the same sense of sight that you have. However, their sight diminishes quickly as their eyes begin to dry out and decay. Typically in less than a month’s time, zombies are rendered completely blind. However, their lack of sight is made up for with a very adept sense of smell. Zombies also do not possess any other special types of vision either. For example, they do not have thermal (infrared) vision, night vision, x-ray vision, etc. they also do not see by movement. That is not to say that movement will not set them off, but it is not what their vision is based on. Basically if we don’t have it, neither do they. It is estimated that zombies are still over 80% combat effective without their sense of sight.
Sound
Sound or hearing is a zombie’s primary sense. As their eyesight quickly fails, they become more reliant on their sense of hearing for direction, making it their dominant sense. This is a trait similarly found in humans. People who have been blinded often have their other senses (especially hearing) greatly heightened. Due to the simplicity of their brains, zombies are unable to distinguish differences in sounds. In turn, they react to any sound they hear, tracking it to its sources with uncanny accuracy. Silence is one of our greatest weapons.
Taste
It is uncertain whether zombies possess the ability to taste. They can however distinguish the difference between old and fresh meat, and prefer the latter. They also seem to favor certain pieces of the human body above others, namely muscle mass. It only makes sense that if something could smell it could taste as these senses work in tandem. But this is still an unverified theory. A common misconception among people is that zombies eat brains. This is just not the case. The brain is housed in the rear portion of the skull known as the cranium. This is one of the hardest bones in the human body, and is not easily accessed by the rudimentary scraping and biting associated with a zombie attack. That is not to say that should it by some means become accessible to them they would not eat it. It just means that they don’t seem to have a particular “taste” or desire for it, let alone the means to acquire it.
Touch
Zombies do not possess a sense of touch. They can, however, sense when they have grabbed onto something, or when they have come into contact with an object. This reaction would seem to denote a sense of touch. However, studies have confirmed that zombies are 100% nerve dead and therefore lack the receptors required for feeling. How they do this remains a mystery. As mentioned earlier, a zombie’s lack of feeling prevents them from reacting to physical injury. Because of this, Zombies are relentless. There have been numerous cases reported where zombies have been decimated, and they still retain the will to pursue and feed.
Sixth sense
Historical research, coupled with laboratory and field observation, has shown that the walking dead have been known to attack even when all their sensory organs have been damaged or completely decomposed. Does this mean that zombies possess a sixth sense? Perhaps. Living humans use less than 5 per cent of their brain capacity. It is possible that the virus can stimulate another sensory ability that has been forgotten by evolution. This theory is one of the most hotly debated in the war against the undead. So far, no scientific evidence has been found to support either side.
Mobile but technically dead, without a heartbeat or other vital signs
In a decaying state, with discolored skin and eyes
Non-communicative, groaning and howling instead of speaking
Unemotional, with no mercy toward victims
Hungry for human flesh(zombies ignore animals like cats or dogs, but no one can quite figure out why)
Clumsy and violent
Vulnerable to destruction of the brain
Unaffected by injuries, even normally fatal ones, as long as they don’t hurt the brain too much
Contagious, a germ from a bite causes zombies
Does not attack other zombies, leading to swarms of zombies
Physical abilities
Strength
Zombies are not superhuman. They are all bound to the same Earthly laws and physical traits that define the person they once were. For example, a blind man who becomes infected will produce a blind zombie; a particularly weak person will result in a particularly weak zombie. The thing that sets us apart from zombies is their inability to feel. This refers to both feeling in mental form (i.e., emotions) and physical form (i.e., pain).
Because zombies are without feeling, they are able to push themselves much harder than the average person, far beyond what we would consider to be “the breaking point”.
If you were trying to move a heavy object obstructing your path, you would begin to exert force on that object in the hopes of moving it. If the object were too heavy, you would be forced to stop due to fatigue or physical injury. These feeling of fatigue and injury are not felt by zombies however. If a zombie were to attempt to move the same heavy object out of its way, it would continue to do so until either the object was moved, or it was rendered physically incapable of moving the object. Very often zombies are seen with injuries such as dislocated joints, broken bones, and severe muscle or tissue damage. This is usually the result of the zombie attempting to perform feats beyond what its body is capable of. Without the benefit of a working immune system, or regeneration of any kind, the injuries that a zombie sustains (either self-inflicted or otherwise) are permanent, and will last until the zombie expires. So, a zombie’s greatest advantage over us may possibly be their biggest disadvantage.
Agility
Zombies possess the same physical abilities we all possess as human beings. One tends to wonder why they are so incapable of running, or dodging and blocking incoming attacks. The correct answer is that they possess the ABILITY to perform these tasks, but lack the coordination required to PROPERLY execute those tasks. We take walking for granted. A lot goes into each step we take. From your foot to your head there are literally hundreds of subtle muscle movements. Balance and terrain are also taken into account, along with dozens of other factors. All this information is calculated instantaneously by our brains, and we take a step. This information is poorly calculated by a zombie’s vastly more simple brain, thus rendering them unable to properly balance or take steps in rapid succession (e.g. running) giving them a more “shuffle” like appearance to their movement. For these same reasons, zombies are completely incapable of jumping or balancing on a narrow surface. They also appear to be poor at side stepping, and backing up, which typically ends with them falling to the ground. Zombies are also unable to swim, and can only float for a short period of time before becoming water logged and sinking to the bottom, they can however remain intact at the bottom of the ocean for a fairly long time before ceasing to function.
Senses:
Smell
Zombies do not necessarily have a better sense of smell than your average human. They just rely more heavily on it, making them far more aware of odors around them. Oftentimes people seeking refuge from zombies are sniffed out rather than spotted or heard. The systems responsible for the sense of smell are buried deep inside the head near the brain, typically making smell the last sense to diminish due to decay or damage.
Sight
Zombies have the same sense of sight that you have. However, their sight diminishes quickly as their eyes begin to dry out and decay. Typically in less than a month’s time, zombies are rendered completely blind. However, their lack of sight is made up for with a very adept sense of smell. Zombies also do not possess any other special types of vision either. For example, they do not have thermal (infrared) vision, night vision, x-ray vision, etc. they also do not see by movement. That is not to say that movement will not set them off, but it is not what their vision is based on. Basically if we don’t have it, neither do they. It is estimated that zombies are still over 80% combat effective without their sense of sight.
Sound
Sound or hearing is a zombie’s primary sense. As their eyesight quickly fails, they become more reliant on their sense of hearing for direction, making it their dominant sense. This is a trait similarly found in humans. People who have been blinded often have their other senses (especially hearing) greatly heightened. Due to the simplicity of their brains, zombies are unable to distinguish differences in sounds. In turn, they react to any sound they hear, tracking it to its sources with uncanny accuracy. Silence is one of our greatest weapons.
Taste
It is uncertain whether zombies possess the ability to taste. They can however distinguish the difference between old and fresh meat, and prefer the latter. They also seem to favor certain pieces of the human body above others, namely muscle mass. It only makes sense that if something could smell it could taste as these senses work in tandem. But this is still an unverified theory. A common misconception among people is that zombies eat brains. This is just not the case. The brain is housed in the rear portion of the skull known as the cranium. This is one of the hardest bones in the human body, and is not easily accessed by the rudimentary scraping and biting associated with a zombie attack. That is not to say that should it by some means become accessible to them they would not eat it. It just means that they don’t seem to have a particular “taste” or desire for it, let alone the means to acquire it.
Touch
Zombies do not possess a sense of touch. They can, however, sense when they have grabbed onto something, or when they have come into contact with an object. This reaction would seem to denote a sense of touch. However, studies have confirmed that zombies are 100% nerve dead and therefore lack the receptors required for feeling. How they do this remains a mystery. As mentioned earlier, a zombie’s lack of feeling prevents them from reacting to physical injury. Because of this, Zombies are relentless. There have been numerous cases reported where zombies have been decimated, and they still retain the will to pursue and feed.
Sixth sense
Historical research, coupled with laboratory and field observation, has shown that the walking dead have been known to attack even when all their sensory organs have been damaged or completely decomposed. Does this mean that zombies possess a sixth sense? Perhaps. Living humans use less than 5 per cent of their brain capacity. It is possible that the virus can stimulate another sensory ability that has been forgotten by evolution. This theory is one of the most hotly debated in the war against the undead. So far, no scientific evidence has been found to support either side.