Severing Kandra

[killersquirrel59]

So, what happens if a Kandra has bits cut off them? Obviously the bones aren't theirs, but what happens to the lost flesh and muscle? Can they reabsorb it or is it lost? If lost, do Kandra actually lose mass when they have bits cut off? I'm wondering if a Kandra could be cut into enough pieces that, even though all pieces are still technically alive, are not large enough to create a body even if new bones were acquired. 

[Charononus]

I doubt it.  TenSoon has multiple comments that seem to indicate that blades while painful pose no danger no matter what.

[Windrunner]

I'm fairly certain that the only true danger a kandra faces from blades is that one of their spikes could be cut out or in a truly massive wound, perhaps separated from each other when a kandra is cut in half.

 

Shadows of Self spoilers

This actually raises an interesting question given what we learned about kandra in Shadows. Paalm maintained a level of functionality despite her missing spike. So, if a kandra were to be cut perfectly in half, would you end up with two clones of the same mad kandra? Would each only have the memories and abilities stored in the neural tissue of that particular half? I really have no idea.

[king of nowhere]

Analyzing it from a biological point of view, I would say that a small enough chunk of kandra flesh would be unable to support itself and would die. It would, of course, take some time. Human flesh can survive a few hours, to the point that if you have a finger cut and you run to the hospital, there is a good chance that they can sew it back and it will work again. I suppose kandra flesh would survive longer than human's, because of its adaptability. It would probably be possible to preserve kandra flesh indefinitely in the right medium, some kind of nourishing and protective solution; again,like for humans. The kandra would of course lose mass, but it could recover it by eating.

Also, kandras must have their minds somewhere, and if they have a diffuse brain - or if all their cells are also performing some brain function - cutting enough of its flesh may remove some of the kandra's memories. In any case, the smaller you cut a kandra, the dumber the piees become, until at a certain point they have no mind and will just lie still.

 

If a kandra was cut in enough pieces, it should die, if nothing else because those pieces would not have enough of a mind to get back together by themselves. If they are recompacted quickly, they may meld together and the kandra may recover, but it has to be done quickly. anyway, if the pieces were small, the kandra would probably be unable to recover without external help.

 

That's what can be surmised by making realistic assumptions with what we know about kandra biology. it may not be accurate, as this is, after all, a work of fiction.

[Charononus]

Analyzing it from a biological point of view, I would say that a small enough chunk of kandra flesh would be unable to support itself and would die. It would, of course, take some time. Human flesh can survive a few hours, to the point that if you have a finger cut and you run to the hospital, there is a good chance that they can sew it back and it will work again. I suppose kandra flesh would survive longer than human's, because of its adaptability. It would probably be possible to preserve kandra flesh indefinitely in the right medium, some kind of nourishing and protective solution; again,like for humans. The kandra would of course lose mass, but it could recover it by eating.

Also, kandras must have their minds somewhere, and if they have a diffuse brain - or if all their cells are also performing some brain function - cutting enough of its flesh may remove some of the kandra's memories. In any case, the smaller you cut a kandra, the dumber the piees become, until at a certain point they have no mind and will just lie still.

 

If a kandra was cut in enough pieces, it should die, if nothing else because those pieces would not have enough of a mind to get back together by themselves. If they are recompacted quickly, they may meld together and the kandra may recover, but it has to be done quickly. anyway, if the pieces were small, the kandra would probably be unable to recover without external help.

 

That's what can be surmised by making realistic assumptions with what we know about kandra biology. it may not be accurate, as this is, after all, a work of fiction.

It's also possible that since they're essentially now creatures of magic,  they have no brains and all thought is purely in the cognitive realm now.  

[Windrunner]

They don't have a centralized nervous system, but they do have decentralized lobes of neural tissue attached to various muscles in their body.