A tale of two carcasses...
2 July 2007: We are still keeping an eye on the bear periodically. We lift the legs, head, and torso to accumulate a collection of cryptic beetles and their larvae. This will allow us to document relatively long-term succession of insects on the carcass. During this phase of deep dessication, we collect beetles and sweep for flies approximately weekly.
2 July 2007: The pig, like the bear, is also in the dry phase of decomposition. The underside is still moist, and maggots are present (see below).
2 July 2007: This morning, just a few hours short of exactly 1 week into decomposition, we had a mass exodus of maggots from underneath the carcass. The grasses and weeds obscure the view, but in the photo above you can make out the larvae clearly. The smaller carcass supported fewer numbers than the large bear (a 119 pound difference), but there were thousands of maggots moving into the undergrowth to burrow into the soil for pupariation.
3 July 2007: After the movement of maggots off the body yesterday, little activity is observable.
3 July 2007: The effects of maggot feeding... The larvae consume the carcass down to the bone, exposing the drying internal organs and pave the way for a dry phase of decomposition. This is where beetles, sepsid flies, and piophilid flies become the dominant players.
4 July 2007: We're pretty much in a phase where, like the bear, decomposition will progress very slowly. We'll continue to collect, but not daily. We will collect beetles on our under the carcass and sweep for flies 1-2 times per week. It is very overcast today, and rain appears to be iminent. That being so, we may see a resurgence in fly activity. If it does indeed rain, I'll head out check again today. The moisture will make some of the tissue soft again, and perhaps we'll have a second wave of blow flies. It really depends on how much rain we get, if any...
2 July 2007: The pig, like the bear, is also in the dry phase of decomposition. The underside is still moist, and maggots are present (see below).
2 July 2007: This morning, just a few hours short of exactly 1 week into decomposition, we had a mass exodus of maggots from underneath the carcass. The grasses and weeds obscure the view, but in the photo above you can make out the larvae clearly. The smaller carcass supported fewer numbers than the large bear (a 119 pound difference), but there were thousands of maggots moving into the undergrowth to burrow into the soil for pupariation.3 July 2007: After the movement of maggots off the body yesterday, little activity is observable.
3 July 2007: The effects of maggot feeding... The larvae consume the carcass down to the bone, exposing the drying internal organs and pave the way for a dry phase of decomposition. This is where beetles, sepsid flies, and piophilid flies become the dominant players.
4 July 2007: We're pretty much in a phase where, like the bear, decomposition will progress very slowly. We'll continue to collect, but not daily. We will collect beetles on our under the carcass and sweep for flies 1-2 times per week. It is very overcast today, and rain appears to be iminent. That being so, we may see a resurgence in fly activity. If it does indeed rain, I'll head out check again today. The moisture will make some of the tissue soft again, and perhaps we'll have a second wave of blow flies. It really depends on how much rain we get, if any...
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