Do the Undead Breathe? Unraveling the Respiratory Mysteries of Walkers
The question of whether the undead, or walkers, as they’re often called, breathe is a complex one, steeped in the lore and mythology of the zombie genre. The short answer, based on information from various sources including “The Walking Dead” universe, is: yes, walkers can breathe, but they don’t need to. This paradoxical aspect of their existence is central to understanding their capabilities and behavior. While breathing may seem unnecessary for creatures technically dead, it plays a crucial role in their vocalizations and movement, whilst the ability to function without respiration has its own set of implications. Let’s delve deeper into this peculiar aspect of the undead.
The Paradox of Undead Respiration
The core issue lies in the fact that zombies, in most fictional depictions, are reanimated corpses. Biologically, a dead body doesn’t require oxygen to function. So, why would a walker breathe? The prevailing theory, particularly within “The Walking Dead” canon, is that their capacity for moaning and groaning is directly related to breathing. The expelled air generates sound, giving them their characteristic mournful noises. However, this breathing is not for the purpose of respiration, which is to absorb oxygen for bodily function. It’s simply an incidental side effect of their reanimated state.
Why Breathing is Unnecessary for Walkers
Unlike living beings, walkers do not need oxygen to survive. Their bodies do not rely on the complex metabolic processes that require oxygen for energy production. This is evidenced by their ability to function in environments where oxygen is limited or absent. For instance, walkers can remain active and mobile underwater, indicating that they do not need to breathe atmospheric oxygen to sustain their animation. This crucial distinction separates them from the living and highlights the fundamental shift in their biological “needs.”
Implications of Breathing (and Not Breathing)
The ability to breathe, albeit in a non-vital capacity, gives walkers the ability to vocalize, which aids in their detection of living beings. However, their capacity to function without breathing allows them to traverse otherwise inhospitable environments, such as underwater, extending their reach and increasing the danger they pose. This duality presents a curious blend of biological functionality within a context that is inherently unnatural. It’s a paradox of breathing for sound, not for life.
Frequently Asked Questions About Undead Breathing and Biology
Understanding how walkers function beyond the need for oxygen requires exploring other aspects of their undead nature. Here are 15 frequently asked questions that further illuminate the biology, behavior, and limitations of walkers:
1. How do walkers make noise if they are dead?
Walkers make noise due to the expulsion of air from their lungs. Though they do not need to breathe for survival, this action creates the moans and groans they are known for. The air movement is not related to a life-sustaining respiration process but rather a simple mechanical byproduct of their reanimated state.
2. Can walkers survive without eating?
Yes, walkers do not need to eat to survive. Their reanimation is not fueled by conventional biological processes like digestion. However, the decay process continues, and without eating, their bodies will continue to decompose, potentially falling apart over time.
3. How long can a walker live?
Walkers can survive for a long time. Some sources suggest they can exist for 60 years or more until their decaying bodies completely break down. This longevity contrasts sharply with the decay process, showcasing the extended timeline of their undead existence.
4. Why did walkers get slower over time?
Early in “The Walking Dead,” some zombies were fast. However, as the show developed, walkers became slower and more consistent, the early fast zombies were due to initial, undeveloped story ideas. The show settled on the slower, more typical portrayal of walkers over time.
5. Are walkers attracted to fire?
Yes, walkers are attracted to fire. This is because their decaying eyesight is drawn to the light and movement that fire generates. It is a visually arresting object that can draw walkers from a distance.
6. Can walkers smell the living?
Yes, walkers have a strong sense of smell and can detect living humans. This is why techniques such as covering oneself in walker blood can mask a living person’s scent, which helps them to blend in.
7. Do walkers go to the toilet?
It’s an important question but as the dead do not digest food or require any kind of life sustaining processes, they do not defecate.
8. Do walkers rely on smell?
Yes, walkers rely heavily on smell due to deteriorating vision. In addition, their senses of smell and hearing become more crucial as their vision degrades. Temperature fluctuations also affect their behavior and senses.
9. Why can’t walkers swim in saltwater?
While not all portrayals of zombies include this, some lore dictates that walkers have an aversion to salt. This aversion can make it challenging for them to traverse large bodies of saltwater, hindering their movement across water.
10. Is anyone immune to walkers?
In most “Walking Dead” series, no one is inherently immune. The exception lies with the character of Laurent in “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” who possesses a form of immunity that alters the show’s overarching story. There is also Morgan, whose near-death smell was able to trick the walkers in “Fear The Walking Dead.”
11. Why don’t animals turn into walkers?
The reasons behind why animals don’t turn into walkers are never explicitly explained in the series, a notable difference from human zombies.
12. Do zombies age?
While zombies don’t age in the traditional sense, their bodies continue to decay slowly due to rigor mortis. They are, essentially, frozen in time from the moment they became a zombie, gradually breaking down.
13. Do walkers feel pain?
No, walkers do not feel pain. This is why actions like stabbing them in the heart won’t be effective in stopping them. Dismemberment may reduce their mobility, but will not kill the walker, as even a decapitated head can still bite.
14. Why do walkers blink?
Walkers don’t blink in the shows, but this is due to editing that removes the blinks of the human actors portraying the undead. They do not blink in the show’s lore, but the need to make them appear more undead means digital editing is required to remove the blinks of the actors.
15. Do walkers need sleep?
No, walkers do not need sleep. Their animation is due to an external force, and they do not have normal biological requirements that require rest. The only thing that degrades their mobility is the decay of their own bodies.
Conclusion: The Breathing Paradox
The mechanics of a zombie’s respiration, or lack thereof, are indicative of their overall existence – a curious blend of functional life systems alongside an absence of critical biological processes. While walkers can breathe to make noise, they do not need to breathe to survive. This paradoxical nature underscores the fascinating and complex world of the undead, highlighting the creative liberties taken within the zombie genre. Understanding their breathing (or lack thereof) is just one part of understanding the overall phenomena that are the walkers.