What happens if you break a zombies neck?

[N1x0n's B4ck]

In The Walking Dead, a zombies brain must be destroyed or severely damage for it to actually die, thus hitting it anywhere else does nothing other than slow it down.

However, for years I have been curious as to what exactly would happen if you were to snap a zombies neck. It's not technically destroying its brain, however I've done some research on neck breaking and apparently it has something to do with your spine being directly connected to your brain, which could possibly indicate that it does actually damage the brain.

So, considering that, what exactly would happen if one were to break its neck? Would it die? Do nothing? It's quite unclear.

DISCLAIMER: I am strictly talking about the zombies from The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, so please do not use something like the neck breaker from Dying Light as a reference, as those zombies are far different.

[Xite >X< 👁️👁 🇦🇺]

It would be a quadriplegic zombie, don't step on its head.

[s w e k]

I was under the impression that on TWD zombie's heads have to be completely severed from their bodies to 'kill' them, so, if you snapped their necks I guess they wouldn't die. They'll just be a zombie walking around with a snapped neck.

[Xero_Daxter]

But wouldn’t they be paralyzed since their neck is broken?

[abcd]

The neck surrounds the main nerve-bundle for the entire body so severing it prevents any signals from being sent from the brain. You don't have to sever it completely though, just jamming half of a broken vertebrae in there usually creates enough electrical interference that any signals trying to pass through are scrambled while the nerves gradually fry themselves from short-circuiting.

So it depends on where it gets broken. Too low and the head and jaw might retain muscle function. High enough and its jaw might become paralyzed, but still theoretically capable of moving its eyes, wiggling its ears, or receiving information from either.

Typically one dies from massive brain-hemorraghing in the upper-break scenario, and a clot or series of clots form and trigger a stroke or series of strokes which damage tissue and cause further bleeding. Zombies might not have this cascade scenario, or might not suffer from it, but they still can't get any signals out of their brain.

So it might still technically be alive, but unable to do anything as it can't pass any signals to the rest of the body.

[8ullfrog]

Full sever, though, I imagine an internally decapitated zombie would just flap about, comically. Unless it's a family member, then it's tragic? Just -flap- -flap- "ghrrrrrbbbblllleeee"

I remember my Shaun. It's Remove the head or Destroy the brain. No half measures.

Probably some bit of mystery to it, since the setting never bothers explaining the why, conveniently. And no one uses the Zed Word!

[chiefputsilao✖️ping]

N1x0n's B4ck の投稿を引用：

In The Walking Dead, a zombies brain must be destroyed or severely damage for it to actually die, thus hitting it anywhere else does nothing other than slow it down.

not really true.. in surgery, we have coup (direct) and counter coup (opposite direction) injuries. so you can hit a zombie in the face or anywhere in the skull and the possibiliity of massive brain damage may occur.
direct brain injury is not a pre-requisite.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_contrecoup_injury
-Dr. Quack

[Abisha]

ah zombies is the most stupid concept ever, the ♥♥♥♥ can you kill something that's already death?.

like wtf who though this ♥♥♥♥ up
it's like hurting a rock by rocking it on other rocks it makes no sense whatsoever

[s w e k]

chiefputsilao✖️ping の投稿を引用：

N1x0n's B4ck の投稿を引用：

In The Walking Dead, a zombies brain must be destroyed or severely damage for it to actually die, thus hitting it anywhere else does nothing other than slow it down.

not really true.. in surgery, we have coup (direct) and counter coup (opposite direction) injuries. so you can hit a zombie in the face or anywhere in the skull and the possibiliity of massive brain damage may occur.
direct brain injury is not a pre-requisite.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_contrecoup_injury
-Dr. Quack

And not to mention that their brains are already damaged.

[Pixelpusher]

im sure the zombie would be paralyzed from the neck down

[s w e k]

Do zombies even have working nerves?

[8ullfrog]

You're overdoing the "real world logic" bit. I remember in the first Resident Evil movie, they recounted that old sop about hair and nails growing post death, when it's really just dehydration doing that.

I gave up on the comic when they killed Glenn. I mean I already felt bad reading the book, felt like misery porn, but the way they killed Glenn let me walk away from the entire series.

Never gave the show a chance after I heard how they did Darabont dirty.

[Xero_Daxter]

Can zombies starve to death?

In Resident Evil it was confirmed the zombies can survive for decades without eating anything.

[chiefputsilao✖️ping]

Xero_Daxter の投稿を引用：

Can zombies starve to death?

If Resident Evil it was confirmed the zombies can survive for decades without eating anything.

afaik, zombies don't really eat to have nutrition but the eating is just part of the 'zombie crave'. they become desiccated over the months/years, at least on the zombie films/tv shows that i have seen.

[s w e k]

8ullfrog の投稿を引用：

You're overdoing the "real world logic" bit. I remember in the first Resident Evil movie, they recounted that old sop about hair and nails growing post death, when it's really just dehydration doing that.

Well, my question was mainly directed towards tausoldier.

tausoldier の投稿を引用：

The neck surrounds the main nerve-bundle for the entire body so severing it prevents any signals from being sent from the brain.


So it might still technically be alive, but unable to do anything as it can't pass any signals to the rest of the body.

This is assuming that a zombie's main nerve-bundle is even functioning in the first place.

[8ullfrog]

Yup, we're talking about Class 3 shamblers here. What's a class 3? Hell if I know.

I can't remember if this is from the comic, or something out of the BOOK WWZ, but zombies will happily chow down, even if their chest region is a void, just dumping offal all over the pavement. The stomach of course, has burst like a water balloon filled with meat.