In this article, you will learn the lifespan of a zombie. A zombie is an undead corporal revenant that is formed by the reanimation of a dead body. Pinning down the exert lifespan of a zombie is one of the vital areas of concern among many researchers.

Indeed, if we can understand how long a zombie can survive, it would be a breakthrough for humanity as it can further help us understand how we can also enhance our survival chances.

Since we all know that zombies occupy a dead person's body, understanding the various phrases of human decomposition can help us reverse engineer and debunk this mysterious question.

From the time of reanimation to the decomposition stage, we can readjust different strategies to help us understand how to deal with a typical zombie outbreak.

It is critical to note that zombies are only on their feet and walking during the fresh stage, i.e., the first decay stage. During the fresh stage of decay, a significant part of the brain has been damaged by mouth bacteria, thus changing it into a semi-liquid form.

If a zombie is under the control of its brain, then its heart cannot be beating. What is making it undead is that its brain is what is powering its processes.

It's reasonable to believe that a zombie won't survive past the Fresh stage. However, under certain conditions, the decomposition rate can slow significantly, thus prolonging the undead timeline.

Under some circumstances, the Fresh stage can long for several days, weeks, years, and even several decades. The longer the Fresh stage lasts, the longer a zombie would take to survive. A zombie will take a considerably longer duration to decompose compared to an ordinary person.

Let's assume that it takes an average of two weeks for the Fresh stage decay to conclude. This way, we can determine how long do zombies live under normal circumstances.

Are Zombies Immortal?

From a technical perspective, immortal means incapable of dying. This is because it has already died, only that it has been reanimated to an undead creature. They have already died and cannot be categorized as alive.

Although they may be difficult to destroy, that doesn't guarantee them to live forever.

Today, there are two types of zombies, the virally infected living zombie-like zombies found in the film 28 Days Later and the Re-animated dead zombies like those found in the movie The Walking Dead.

The virally infected zombies will eventually die even without any intervention from anyone. Similarly, the undead zombies will ultimately die.

How Do Zombies Die?

Some body parts will inevitably die and decompose faster than others. For instance, when the virus revitalizes the dead person's central nervous system, it means the zombie can move around, especially if the virus is within the muscle cells. 

A prolonged presence of rigor mortis can prevent muscles from ATP access, thus limiting muscle relaxation. This is the reason behind a freshly dead zombie can get up after several hours after arousal from something.

With time, the limited cellular respiration, myosin, and actin will start consuming the muscles, making the zombie immobile. The zombie's body might lie on the ground, and it could take several hours or days to decompose completely.

However, when a zombie's cardiovascular system is still functioning, then the zombie might live a bit longer. However, their glucose level will gradually be depleted, and the accumulation of waste disposal will result in ultimate death.

Do Zombies Decompose?

Yes! Zombies are not exceptions, they will die and eventually decay. The decay of their bodies starts happening immediately after transmuting into the undead. The zombie's rotting flesh will eventually attract decomposers, thus facilitating the decomposition rate.

This can control the further spread of the zombie virus, as seen in the Walking dead zombies. In some instances, zombies will stop decomposing, especially under the influence of magic.

However, under normal circumstances, the zombie will decompose until the body is useless. Without a trace of any living process taking place, a zombie's body will decay from bacterial activities, thus leaving its body a mere skeleton within a few months. Roughly, it will take about five weeks for a zombie body to decompose finally.

Prolonging the life of a zombie means keeping most of their body system alive. An image of a zombie in rotting flesh is an indication of an absence of cellular respiration.

Such types of zombies can also mean that zombies died even before their skin starts rotting. However, some zombies can exist in this state of undead for several years. 

Also Read: What Do Zombies Eat?