The Walking Dead provides information on how zombies act, behave and evolve.

The zombie genre has been going strong since the 1930s, and while there's the occasional deviation in how they're portrayed on screen, audiences are most familiar with the these famed dead creatures as brainless and slow but deadly in hordes. The zombiesin AMC'sThe Walking Deadbear all the signs of the typical zombie: mindless killing machines with the singular goal of devouring the flesh of anyone who crosses their path. The zombies in theWalking Deadmay be relatively weak, but over the course of 10 seasons, the show has introduced some interesting concepts to their physiology.

While the origins of the zombie outbreak in TheWalking Deadis unknown, every character in theshow is infected with the pathogen that causes the dead to come to life. The pathogen doesn't kill its hosts -- rather it remains dormant, and outwardly the host appears normal and healthy. The pathogen only becomes active when the host dies, reviving some parts the brain and cerebellum in the process which causes them to transform into a zombie. As long as the host remains alive and avoids bites or scratches from the dead, the pathogen will remain dormant until the moment of their demise.

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The zombies from The Walking Dead havesuch a powerful sense of smellthat they candetect scents from miles away and can differentiate them betweenthe living or dead. In both the television series and the comics the show is adapted from, human characters can disguise their scents by covering themselves in gore, undead flesh or anything that smells of decay. Over time, the zombies' eyesight deteriorates, but their heightened sense of smell is their greatest asset and proves the most dangerous to Rick and his group of survivors.

The undead are inhumanly strong andpossess enough strengthtotear apart a human or animal with relative ease and ripapart limbs with little effort. While the zombie's strength depends on how long they've been reanimated, they can produce enough force to overpower even the strongest of humans, making them incredibly dangerous in combat. However, as the zombies decay, their strength wanes, so you'd have a better chance of survival if you encounter an older zombie.

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Being dead with limited brain activity and supposedly no pain receptors, zombies fromThe Walking Dead feel no pain -- or at least they don't react to pain. They can absorb all manner of physical damage even though their bodies are no less durable -- and in fact, sometimes even weaker -- than that of a living human. Zombies can survive the worst of injuries, from losing limbs to impalement. Shots to the head, decapitation and spinal cord severing are the only things that can kill or weaken a zombie. As long as their brain is intact, zombies can function normally, even if they've lost their heads.

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Zombie Physiology, According to The Walking Dead | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources