How long do zombies last?

Question from Momo:
What is the best country to be in when the zombie apocalypse comes?

Answer from Bast:
This is a really good question. Depending on what kind of zombie outbreak we’re dealing with, it could be any number of lifespan. If we’re fighting the “reanimated corpse” zombie, those have already died, been buried and are in various stages of decay. The embalming fluids used by modern morticians will act like a preservative and slow the rotting of flesh from this type of zombie, but you’re still looking at a shelf life of just a few weeks until all of the meat melts off of their bones and the contagion doesn’t have anymore means of propulsion. This process will be expedited in humid, hot places like Florida where a zombie will rot into a puddle of goo in probably 4 days.

Now if we’re fighting the “bitten while alive” variety of zombie, these are going to be living (kind of-see previous posts about zombie contagions) beings that will remain functional unless all food sources are removed from their reach, at which point they would starve to death in a matter of weeks. This life span would apply to your various “blood borne pathogen/air borne pathogen infected” zombie varieties as well.