Succession Fresh Bloated 1 2 3 Post-Decay Dry Decay 4 5 6

Five Stages of Decomposition Fueled by Insect Activity. A. Fresh Stage B. Bloated Stage C. Decay Stage D. Post-decay Stage E. Dry Stage

Stage 1 of Decay https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/825004/pages/stage-1-of-decay 7:16

Fresh Stage (Days 1-2) Blowflies have detected the cadaver Eggs are being laid, often around the eye, nostrils, mouth, followed by anus or genital openings Eggs

Stage 2: Bloat Stage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4SuDHpqeUE

Bloated Stage (Day 2-6) Cadaver begins to swell and putrefy Flesh flies appear Small maggots are feeding Putrefaction begins. Gasses produced by anaerobic bacteria inflate the abdomen. Pig’s eye

Stage 3: Active Decay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5ynpWVem0Y

Decay Stage (Days 5-11) Adult blowflies no longer attracted. Large masses of maggots feeding externally and internally Predators and parasitoids of maggots arrive Abdominal wall breaks allowing gasses to escape. Carcass deflates.

Stage 4:Dry Decay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM4hMxub_sE

Post-Decay Stage (Days 10-25) Cadaver is drying out. Large maggots are leaving or have left In dry habitats, remains are skin, cartilage, and bones. In wet habitats, wet, viscous material in the soil under the remains.

Dry Stage Skin and bones Insects with the ability to digest keratin (clothes moths and dermestid beetles).

Stages of Decay Video http://vciforensicscience.weebly.com/forensic-entomology.html

Let’s give it a try … Click the image above or click here to visit the website at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/crime-scene-creatures/interactive-determine-the-time-of-death/4390/

The End