05 November 2010

Time lapse of a piglet's decomposition


Nothing much happens (visibly) for the first minute or two, then the lips begin to move (presumably from the motion of maggots).  Then things seem to quiet down for a while until the intestines get involved.  I was impressed at the end how deep into the (probably sandy) soil the maggots were located, probably because the body fluids had seeped down to that level.

On one of the trails I hike at the U.W. Arboretum, there's a side path that leads to a cluster of decomposing bodies, apparently planted there by biology (or forensics?) students, with each body having an identification tag.  The skeletons are pinned under meshed wire to prevent the larger carnivores from stealing the bones.

Those interested in the science of this process should search the web for info on the Univ. of Tennessee's "body farm."

Video found at Wurzeltod.

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