very limited vocalization, making utterances only when directly communicating with other zombies. They never engage in prolonged bouts of moaning for seemingly no reason and often sneak up on unsuspecting victims because they are so quiet.
In her bestselling book
Animals in Translation
, Temple Grandin explains that attacks meant to kill for the purpose of feeding are nothing like the growling, loud encounters that animals have when trying to protect themselves or their territory. Extensive observation has proven that a killer on the hunt is almost always quiet and expressionless. In fact, animal behaviorists commonly refer to predatory killing as the “quiet bite.”
This evidence reinforces the argument that zombies likely don’t moan. Grandin states clearly that animals on the hunt have no strategic reason to make any sound. In fact, noise puts them at a marked disadvantage and so is avoided at any cost.
So remember, just because the zombie at your front door isn’t moaning and growling doesn’t mean it’s not interested in eating you alive. On the contrary, it may be more focused on that than even the most realistic Hollywood ghoul.
Night of the Living Dead
(1968)
BEN:
You mean you didn’t hear the racket we were making up here?
HARRY:
How were we supposed to know what was going on? Could have been those things for all we knew.
BEN:
That girl was screaming. Surely you must know what a girl screaming sounds like. Those things don’t make any noise!
10: DEFENSIVE REFLEX IN ZOMBIES
T he 2008 film
Pontypool
follows the crew of a small morning radio show as reports of random violence and riots begin pouring in from callers in the usually sleepy surrounding town. It soon becomes clear that citizens are being turned from innocent victims to raving maniacs that will stop at nothing to attack and kill those unaffected.
Before long, the host and his producer are locked inside the sealed radio booth as their infected assistant outside slams her head repeatedly into the thick soundproof glass until her face is little more than a shattered mass of broken bones and swollen flesh. She wants what she wants, and she’ll stop at nothing to get it. Though the film takes artistic license with the new breed of living-zombie story,
Pontypool
’s infected largely remain true to the relentless nature of the modern zombie in that they display pure unchecked aggression. They attack with no sense of consequence or concern for counterattack or injury.
Zombie defensive strategy is unique to all other species, both real and imagined, in that they have none. Why are the undead hordes forever on attack? What makes them show no concern for self-preservation? And how do they process pain?
CAN ZOMBIES FEEL PAIN?
It’s widely believed that if you take a swing at a zombie with the business end of a shovel, it will not duck out of the way. Because of this, some mistakenly conclude that zombies don’t have any physical sensations whatsoever, going as far as to say that this lack of feeling is a physical advantage over normal humans.
In reality, a zombie with no physical sensation would be unable to move. Far from terrifying, this creature could do little more than lie on the ground and bite in your general direction. Neuroscientist Bradley Voytek echoes this sentiment, stating conclusively that one key element in a zombie’s ability to walk is the ability to feel the ground beneath one’s feet.
However, it has been suggested that neuropathy, a disorder commonly associated with advanced diabetes that results in nerve damage and impaired sensation, can explain how zombies may be able to stalk humans without having any physical sensation. But Tina Tockarshewsky, executive director of the Neuropathy Association, refutes this argument, explaining that neuropathy causes numbness and pain in the hands and feet, creating a loss of sensation comparable to the feeling of wearing thin socks or gloves. It doesn’t eliminate sensation or pain.
As
In her bestselling book
Animals in Translation
, Temple Grandin explains that attacks meant to kill for the purpose of feeding are nothing like the growling, loud encounters that animals have when trying to protect themselves or their territory. Extensive observation has proven that a killer on the hunt is almost always quiet and expressionless. In fact, animal behaviorists commonly refer to predatory killing as the “quiet bite.”
This evidence reinforces the argument that zombies likely don’t moan. Grandin states clearly that animals on the hunt have no strategic reason to make any sound. In fact, noise puts them at a marked disadvantage and so is avoided at any cost.
So remember, just because the zombie at your front door isn’t moaning and growling doesn’t mean it’s not interested in eating you alive. On the contrary, it may be more focused on that than even the most realistic Hollywood ghoul.
Night of the Living Dead
(1968)
BEN:
You mean you didn’t hear the racket we were making up here?
HARRY:
How were we supposed to know what was going on? Could have been those things for all we knew.
BEN:
That girl was screaming. Surely you must know what a girl screaming sounds like. Those things don’t make any noise!
10: DEFENSIVE REFLEX IN ZOMBIES
T he 2008 film
Pontypool
follows the crew of a small morning radio show as reports of random violence and riots begin pouring in from callers in the usually sleepy surrounding town. It soon becomes clear that citizens are being turned from innocent victims to raving maniacs that will stop at nothing to attack and kill those unaffected.
Before long, the host and his producer are locked inside the sealed radio booth as their infected assistant outside slams her head repeatedly into the thick soundproof glass until her face is little more than a shattered mass of broken bones and swollen flesh. She wants what she wants, and she’ll stop at nothing to get it. Though the film takes artistic license with the new breed of living-zombie story,
Pontypool
’s infected largely remain true to the relentless nature of the modern zombie in that they display pure unchecked aggression. They attack with no sense of consequence or concern for counterattack or injury.
Zombie defensive strategy is unique to all other species, both real and imagined, in that they have none. Why are the undead hordes forever on attack? What makes them show no concern for self-preservation? And how do they process pain?
CAN ZOMBIES FEEL PAIN?
It’s widely believed that if you take a swing at a zombie with the business end of a shovel, it will not duck out of the way. Because of this, some mistakenly conclude that zombies don’t have any physical sensations whatsoever, going as far as to say that this lack of feeling is a physical advantage over normal humans.
In reality, a zombie with no physical sensation would be unable to move. Far from terrifying, this creature could do little more than lie on the ground and bite in your general direction. Neuroscientist Bradley Voytek echoes this sentiment, stating conclusively that one key element in a zombie’s ability to walk is the ability to feel the ground beneath one’s feet.
However, it has been suggested that neuropathy, a disorder commonly associated with advanced diabetes that results in nerve damage and impaired sensation, can explain how zombies may be able to stalk humans without having any physical sensation. But Tina Tockarshewsky, executive director of the Neuropathy Association, refutes this argument, explaining that neuropathy causes numbness and pain in the hands and feet, creating a loss of sensation comparable to the feeling of wearing thin socks or gloves. It doesn’t eliminate sensation or pain.
As
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