Checked on Marked Carcasses

January 14, 2019 (Monday)
On Saturday, I marked 9 newt carcasses that were near the side of the road for the purpose of observing them over time as they decompose. Since there are hundreds and hundreds of carcasses and it's hard to tell them apart when they start decomposing, I've marked these few by putting a drop of purple nail polish beside them for easier identification.

It has been raining for days and the road was wet. I noticed that most of the carcasses that I identified on Saturday have decomposed into a slimy whitish gray mass that is almost unrecognizable as a newt. This is very fast decomposition compared to what I was seeing when there was no rain for a week.

What I've noticed so far:

1. The bright orange/yellow belly color seems to fade to grayish-white within 2-3 days.
2. The bright red blood is gone within 2 days.
3. If carcasses were dessicated before the rain, they absorb water and actually make the carcass look fresher.

Posted on January 15, 2019 02:56 AM by truthseqr