Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Examples of excarnation include "sky burials" in parts of Asia, the Zoroastrian "Tower of Silence", and Native American "tree burials". Excarnation is practiced for a variety of spiritual and practical reasons, including the Tibetian spiritual belief that excarnation is the most generous form of burial [ 3 ] and the Comanche practical concern ...
Mortuary archaeology is the study of human remains in their archaeological context. This is a known sub-field of bioarchaeology, which is a field that focuses on gathering important information based on the skeleton of an individual.
Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, humans, hawks, eagles, [1] hyenas, [2] Virginia opossum, [3] Tasmanian devils, [4] coyotes [5] and Komodo dragons.
The fresh stage of decomposition is characterized by the arrival of necrophagous blowflies and flesh flies. These blowflies are also strongly attracted during the bloat stage of decomposition. [ 2 ] Many Dipterans, especially their larval forms, are involved in removal of material from the carcass, though not in an appreciable amount. [ 6 ]
For example, Tokunagayusurika akamusi is a species of midge fly whose larvae live as obligate scavengers at the bottom of lakes and whose adults almost never feed and only live up to a few weeks. Most scavenging animals are facultative scavengers that gain most of their food through other methods, especially predation .
Both the flesh and internal organs could be buried immediately, or preserved with salt in the same manner as animal meat. [8] The bones could then be sprinkled with perfumes or fragrances. [ 10 ] The bones and any preserved flesh, would then be transported back to the deceased's homeland for ceremonial interment.
A skeleton in a bioarchaeology lab. Paleodemography studies demographic characteristics of past populations. [5] Bioarchaeologists use paleodemography to create life tables, a type of cohort analysis, to understand zdemographic characteristics (such as risk of death or sex ratio) of a given age cohort within a population.
Additionally, [3] soil animals are considered key regulators of decomposition at local scales but their role at larger scales is unresolved. The most important arthropods that are involved in the process include carrion beetles, mites, [4] [5] the flesh-flies (Sarcophagidae) and blow-flies (Calliphoridae), such as the green bottle flies seen in ...