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A question about walkers

VegztahVegztah
edited November 2012 in The Walking Dead
So, I've always been wondering about this: How does a walker manage to tear up a persons stomach and rip out his intestines, only with it's bear hands?

Comments

  • VegztahVegztah
    edited November 2012
    Vegztah wrote: »
    So, I've always been wondering about this: How does a walker manage to tear up a persons stomach and rip out his intestines, only with it's bear hands?

    Bare* hands..
  • RedKoolLoopsRedKoolLoops
    edited November 2012
    I've always attributed it to a determined hunger that walkers experience when they detect a human and that their hands are usually whittled away to be sharp and bony. Then there's also that myth that finger nails keep growing for a certain amount of time after death as well.
  • AtariusAtarius
    edited November 2012
    As far as fingernails I would imagine even if they didn't keep growing the hands are rotting. Eventually the muscle, fat and skin is going to wear down and the nails will be left mostly. Though I wonder if the nails themselves would just fall out.

    I think it was explained somewhere that they are just relentless, they are essentially full throttle all the time. For instance they don't get tired, they don't feel pain, if they're going to grab you it's going to be max of their potentially 100% of time.

    I know in the Vampires vs. Zombies episode of Deadliest Warrior they had some muscle guys tear a simulated human body up really badly, snapping bones and ripping the flesh pretty easily.
  • BlankCanvasDJBlankCanvasDJ
    edited November 2012
    There's another thread about this somewhere. Basically, it comes down to strength. Walkers don't have the reflexes that we have that make us hold back to keep from tearing muscles, breaking bones or dislocating joints. If a walker gets ahold of you, it will keep pulling until it either tears you open or it tears its own arms out.
  • mlmayomlmayo
    edited November 2012
    BlankCanvasDJ wrote: »
    There's another thread about this somewhere. Basically, it comes down to strength. Walkers don't have the reflexes that we have that make us hold back to keep from tearing muscles, breaking bones or dislocating joints. If a walker gets ahold of you, it will keep pulling until it either tears you open or it tears its own arms out.

    That's right: it's for the same reason a small chimpanzee could rip you up. Humans have psychological blocks that restrict how much of our muscle power we use. That's why in times of great stress young girls can lift cars, or why body builders have to "psych themselves out" before lifting a bunch of weight. The Walkers presumably have no such restraints.
  • Master of AeonsMaster of Aeons
    edited November 2012
    I get the how, I don't get the why. I don't get that a zombie would do anything but bite and hold something. Pulling out guts to eat those is a little pointless.
  • AnydayAnyday
    edited November 2012
    I find that if you think too much about the walking dead universe it tends to anger you intellectually, so I try not to think 'too hard' about it. I realize that's probably the excuse for a lot of mediums but for horror/fantasy it should be the exception.

    Scientifically speaking in the real world, 'dead' people can't move it all - and I'm not trying to get philosophical here; I mean it literally. Sure, for 5-10 minutes you could move the bodies if you hooked up some complicated controller to the nervous system, but after a few hours the toxins build up to a level that actually stiffens the muscles up to a point that they become impossible to flex.

    So I think it's better if no one ever tries to explain why, because it could come off as just an insult to people intellectually.
  • KannibalKannibal
    edited November 2012
    Vegztah wrote: »
    So, I've always been wondering about this: How does a walker manage to tear up a persons stomach and rip out his intestines, only with it's bear hands?

    I guess it's pretty easy if you have bear hands. :rolleyes:
  • plaqueconspiracyplaqueconspiracy
    edited November 2012
    In some zombie flicks the zombies rip you up in one swing. That to me seems a little overkill. If you get overrun by 3 zombies, I'd imagine it being a real struggle to try to get out from their hold for a good 10-15 seconds before they finally start ripping off the flesh. That would make it more horrible.
    Kannibal wrote: »
    I guess it's pretty easy if you have bear hands. :rolleyes:

    Bear hands are easymode.
  • TaakaTaaka
    edited November 2012
    In a word, WAR Z.
  • VegztahVegztah
    edited November 2012
    Kannibal wrote: »
    I guess it's pretty easy if you have bear hands. :rolleyes:

    Haha, I guess so ;) I corrected myself right after my comment was posted!
  • ChristoasterChristoaster
    edited November 2012
    DAE that logic does not apply to videogames?
  • TypicaljacobTypicaljacob
    edited November 2012
    Anyday wrote: »
    Scientifically speaking in the real world, 'dead' people can't move it all - and I'm not trying to get philosophical here; I mean it literally. Sure, for 5-10 minutes you could move the bodies if you hooked up some complicated controller to the nervous system, but after a few hours the toxins build up to a level that actually stiffens the muscles up to a point that they become impossible to flex.

    well, in the walking dead universe, in the show, the scientist at woodsbury explains that they hunger and stuff too like living things, only, at a much slower rate. so i guess that would apply to the toxins youre referring to. Not to mention, it could also explain most of the walkers awkward movement other than detrerioating (cant spell haha) flesh and bones and whatnot.
  • MaggardMaggard
    edited November 2012
    Scientifically it is very easy to penetrate the abdominal wall of the average individual, esp. when you're body is no longer limited by a pain reflex.

    To be honest, all humans are MUCH "stronger" then we appear. Imagine the skinny guy on PCP that it takes six well-trained officers to subdue. Why?

    His "limits" are gone.

    So too with Walkers. They are slow, yes. They are, however, also "immune" to pain and therefore can operate at 100% the entire time, just like the PCP addict.

    Remember: it takes only six pounds of pressure to snap the small rib. If you pointed your hand like a "knife" and thrust forward (with all your might, and without concern or pain from breaking your own fingers) the gut would easily give way under your assault.
  • CalDW19940CalDW19940
    edited November 2012
    Usually in zombie stoyrlines zombies do not feel pain or need to rest so if you think about it if you're arms never got tired from lactic acid build up and need for oxygen then you could hold something heavy up or generate enough force to damage something for a limitless amount of time.

    A human could probably rip open a stomach or rib cage if they didn't get tired out and could keep up their maximum strength for as long as needed. They also aren't phased if you hurt them or give them a good solid wack so have no reason to stop going at you with full strength until they can eat you. Think how terrifying it would be to fight a killer who was not phased or worried about getting hurt? Now think how terrifying it is for that person to never grow tired :L
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