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Not quite zombies, but there is a credible theory that rabies was the inspiration for vampires -- and maybe even werewolves -- since a lot of the symptoms are similar, e.g. transmission through biting (often from dogs and bats, which coincidentally are also animals that vampires can transform into), heightened aggression that includes biting, aversion to bright lights and strong smells like garlic:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321780

The issue there is that the modern Zombie myth of an undead creature that spreads by biting only dates back to 1968.

Zombies who eat brains are the mentally ill.

Bram Stoker was gay, and so are his vampire characters.

Sparkling Twilight vampires are Latter-Day Saints.

Zombies and vampires existed long before these novels and films got made, but pop culture has a way of wiping out and superseding local folk culture in the modern minds of new generations.

It's amazing how microorganisms, including that Cordyceps fungus, can "control" macro nervous systems so specifically..

Actually the American shopping mall, specifically the Monroeville mall near Pittsburgh PA in the 1960 inspired zombie lore

It's also a good description of a large fraction of social media posts.

Case in point.

I wonder how was it first discovered how beaver anal glands taste like.

Well ackshually...

> Beaver food flavoring doesn't actually come from the animal's anal gland but from another organ next to it, called the castor sac.

I still wouldn't try it, myself.

Thanks! The original link gave me a 403 only.

Good thing he went to the doctor. Potential rabies is one of those "you gotta do it" deals.

Sounds like a Primus song but not quite.

Never heard the word "coypu" before, turns out it's the same as "nutria".

A møøse once bit my sister.

It was because the beaver was rabid.

I turned my laptop around to show my wife the headline before I even started reading the article, as I immediately laughed as well.

Already done, though not by Emmerich - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombeavers

Assuming you're not otherwise armed, I would say something long and tough to whack, bash, and push (or pin) with, such as a tree branch.

Kicking it? It’s not a mountain lion.

Shooting it with your pistol

Make like a tree and leaf?

toss a raw tree trunk to distract him, and run in the opposite direction.

wow, that was a pretty fast copyright takedown.