Zombie Physiology

Zombies have several differences from humans. They possess most symptoms of death with a
few add-ins of life.

General
Pallor Mortis
This is generally the reason zombies are discolored, or pale. This symptom is one of the less
noticeable difference between the dead and the living, since a person can achieve that deathly
color by undergoing deep shock, like the fact that the dead have come to eat the living.

Liver Mortis
A more pronounced version of Pallor Mortis, this is a corpse turns due to settling of blood. This
usually occurs 6-12 hours after death, so it may not be present in newly reanimated individuals.

Algor Mortis
Algor Mortis causes corpses to drop their body temperature.

Rigor Mortis
Probably our best friend, Rigor Mortis causes stiffening in the corpse, so it would be difficult to
move or manipulate the corpse. This is why zombies tend to walk/run slowly and prevents them
from preforming some actions such as climbing or picking up objects. However, this only applies
to corpses who have already been dead for 3-4 hours, if reanimation occurs before this period is
reached, the zombie may be as quick as a normal human.

Organ Systems

Circulatory System
This system pumps blood to and from the body. Since zombies are dead, they would not need to
pump blood, which results in all four mortises and the loss of the need for a stable heart.
Integumentary System
This system consists of the skin, hair, fat and nails. The hair should be disregarded, since it
doesn't affect life or death. Zombies are skinny, since they convert their fat to energy. The skin
starts decomposing and the nails stop growing, which is helpful and would prevent scratch-
related attacks.

However, the skin dries up and retracts which makes the hair and nails appear longer.

Skeletal System
This system deals with bones, cartilage, ligaments and tendons. This is what keeps the corpse
from melting into one big mass of decomposing flesh. The human body has evolved to withstand
most damage, but a zombie's partially decomposed appendage should be easy enough to break
off without much effort.

Your real target would be the skull. It has evolved to the dome shape that we have today for
maximum pain absorption and is thicker than all your other bones, so it is difficult to destroy
without a proper weapon.

Digestive System
Zombies don't have an effective digestive system because of the lack of enzymes and a lack of a
means to deliver digested food into the body systems, which is why zombies are always hungry?
They cannot digest food, their stomachs tend to bloat.
Respiratory System
This system involves the organs used for breathing. Zombies don't breathe so they don't have a
use for this system.
Muscular System
Due to rigor mortis, the muscles stiffen and thus the undead are cursed with the inability to move
quickly.

Nervous System
By far the zombie's most important organ system, the nervous system is in charge of collecting,
transferring and processing information with brain, spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.
This system is reduced to basic movements and feeding, because only the brain stem is
reactivated after death.
The Zombie Brain
We know that most complex behaviors in highly developed animals such as humans are
associated with the cortex. If you remove the cortex in animals, their behavior becomes purely
instinctive. They can repeat over-learned behaviors and have instinctive drives and become a bit
like zombies.

In human zombies a form of incomplete brain death must occur. It disables the higher functions
of the brain and leaves behind the mechanical and motor controls of the limbic system, complete
with a small amount of memory function. This results in the limited aspects of zombie behavior.
They can remember how to move around and other motor skills (such as eating), but lack
coherent consciousness or higher functions.

The Zombie Body

Zombie bodies are human bodies, but with changed properties. Normal nervous system activity
seems lacking, and only motor control exists. They do not feel pain, or at least, do not react to it.
They do not seem to suffer much from blood loss and do not need to eat or drink. You could
guess that they have no internal homeostasis. They retain most of their water because they do
not sweat, which means they do not regulate body temperature, but also they are more water
efficient. A person can survive without food for weeks, but without the bulk of their brain
functioning the energy requirements of a zombie is lower by up to 10%. They can survive longer
without food. Muscles use energy and require blood sugar to function. The blood must transport
acids and by-products of metabolism away from the muscles and organs to be disposed of or
recycled. Without a beating heart, our muscles and bodies would become immobile.