What Are Zombies Hungry For? Unraveling the Undead Appetite
Zombies, the quintessential horror figures, are defined by their insatiable hunger. But what exactly drives their relentless pursuit of the living? The answer is not as straightforward as simply needing to eat. Zombies are primarily driven by a primeval, insatiable urge to consume, though the exact source and nature of this craving varies depending on the specific lore or story. While traditionally they don’t derive nourishment, the core of their hunger is rooted in a neurological compulsion rather than a physiological need for sustenance. This compulsion is often paired with a specific target, most often living human flesh, but sometimes brains. Let’s delve deeper into the complexities of zombie hunger.
The Primeval Drive: Beyond Simple Hunger
Neurological Basis of Hunger
The concept of zombie hunger isn’t based on biological necessity. In many traditional zombie depictions, such as George A. Romero’s “Day of the Dead,” the undead have no functioning digestive system. The drive to eat is, instead, a primal urge rooted in the damaged parts of their brain. Studies on primates with damage to the ventromedial hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates appetite, have revealed that such damage results in uncontrollable and indiscriminate eating. This serves as a compelling parallel to the zombie’s insatiable need to consume, suggesting a similar malfunction in their reanimated brains. This malfunction leads them to relentlessly pursue flesh even when they can’t benefit from it.
Rage and Reanimation
Some zombie narratives propose that the hunger is a result of the reanimation process. It’s not about fuel for the body, which has long since ceased to require it. Instead, the act of consumption becomes a manifestation of a rage-fueled compulsion. The agent of zombification may be the root cause of this rage, turning the undead into rabid predators, with the hunger serving as a macabre expression of their reanimated state. This suggests the hunger isn’t a natural biological process, but an unnatural consequence of a traumatic and destructive transformation.
The Preferred Diet: Flesh, Brains, and Beyond
Living Human Flesh
Traditionally, zombies are drawn to living human flesh, and in most cases, avoid consuming other zombies. This is because, once the full zombification process has taken place, the zombie itself is no longer considered ‘alive’, rendering its own flesh ‘unpalatable’ to others of its kind. This can be interpreted as a perverse form of natural selection, preventing zombie cannibalism. The zombies’ drive becomes a means of perpetuating their own kind by spreading the infection through consumption of the living.
The Craving for Brains
The trope of zombies specifically craving brains originated from the film “Return of the Living Dead.” In this narrative, the hunger for brains isn’t a matter of biological necessity, but rather an attempt to relieve the agonizing pain of being undead. This makes brain consumption a form of twisted self-medication, giving the undead a brief respite from their torment.
The Lack of Sustenance
It is crucial to understand that, irrespective of their diet, zombies do not gain any real nutrition from what they consume. Their digestive systems are defunct and, as such, eating provides no benefit to their condition or level of energy. The purpose of their hunger is to satisfy the aforementioned primeval urges, not to sustain their non-lives. This makes them particularly dangerous, as their hunger is relentless and they have no reason to stop eating.
The Undead Condition: Why They Don’t Starve
The Inability to Die (Again)
A crucial point to consider is that zombies cannot starve to death. As they are already deceased and reanimated, the standard rules of biology don’t apply to them. While their corpses will continue to decay and rot over time, they won’t simply wither away from lack of food. Their “hunger” is not a physiological need, making it an unquenchable, driving force that keeps them relentlessly pursuing the living.
Decay and Demise
The ultimate fate of zombies is decay and disintegration over time. With no active cellular repair or regeneration, their bodies will eventually fall apart. The process can be very long, sometimes taking decades. This slow degradation is a factor that could, potentially, allow for humans to “wait out” a zombie apocalypse, but the time scale, however, makes this a long term strategic play at best.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How long can a zombie survive?
Zombies can “survive” for an extended period. Some narratives suggest that they can remain active for 60 years or more, until their bodies have rotted away to the point that they are no longer able to function.
2. Do zombies feel pain?
No, zombies do not feel pain. This is why they can continue to function even after suffering severe injuries that would cripple or kill a living being. Stabbing a zombie in the heart won’t stop them, for instance.
3. Do zombies need oxygen?
As long as the method of zombification requires a functional brain stem to keep their organs working, they do need oxygen. Respiration, in that case, requires oxygen delivered to cells by the heart and lungs. However, they don’t need blood to function, meaning that severe bleeding isn’t fatal to them.
4. Can you kill a zombie by decapitation?
While decapitation will certainly prevent a zombie from using its body, the head itself may still be active and capable of biting. Therefore, decapitation alone is not a guaranteed method of eliminating a zombie threat.
5. What is the only sure method to kill a zombie?
The only definitive way to eliminate a zombie is to destroy its brain. Any damage to the body, including limbs, won’t kill a zombie, just slow it down, but destroying the brain shuts down whatever processes animate it.
6. Do zombies sleep?
No, zombies do not sleep. Instead, they enter a dormant state, where they are temporarily less active. This is sometimes confused for sleep, but is more akin to a state of low activity.
7. Are zombies stronger than humans?
Yes, zombies can be incredibly strong and can often overpower humans. However, their strength typically wanes over time as their bodies decay. This makes older zombies somewhat less dangerous than newly reanimated ones.
8. How fast can a zombie run?
Most traditional zombies are slow and shambling. Many narratives depict zombies as walking at a slow, deliberate pace. Some, however, portray zombies as fast moving predators. On average the speed is estimated to be at one step per 1.5 seconds for the slowest, more traditional zombies.
9. What is the “zombie virus?”
The term “zombie virus” usually refers to viruses that have been inactive for a long time. However, scientists do not believe there is a biological virus that can cause reanimation, therefore it’s considered a narrative element, though some viruses and parasites can cause behavioral changes in living creatures.
10. Can humans get the “zombie parasite” from ants?
No, the “zombie ant” fungus cannot infect humans. The fungus, Ophiocordyceps, is specific to ants and does not affect fish, amphibians, or mammals.
11. How do zombies identify humans?
Zombies typically rely on sight and hearing to locate humans. Loud noises and visual movement often attract their attention, as seen in many zombie films.
12. Do zombies hate clowns?
This is a trope that is largely humorous and not generally considered part of the lore. It has appeared in some zombie fiction, but it is not universally accepted.
13. What happens if zombies don’t eat?
Zombies do not starve, as they are not sustained by food. Not feeding does not lead to starvation. Their relentless pursuit of flesh isn’t a biological necessity for their survival, but rather a primal, neurological drive.
14. Can zombies rot away?
Yes, zombies do decay. While their decomposition is slow, they will eventually rot away. This is a fundamental characteristic of the reanimated corpse.
15. Do zombies have blood?
Zombies have a functional brainstem, which keeps all of their organs working, so they have an active circulatory system, with blood being pushed around their system. However, they don’t need their blood to survive, so if they are wounded, blood can pour out of the wound with no repercussions.
Understanding the complexities of zombie hunger requires looking beyond simple biological needs. It’s a blend of neurological damage, primal rage, and the perverse nature of reanimation. While their hunger is insatiable and terrifying, it’s also what makes them such compelling figures in horror.