Hi jdiski-ga,
The simple answer to your question is -- "pretty messy."
In reality your question has no exact answer. But by taking into
account some of the major variables, I think you'll be able to build a
fairly good description of what your hypothetical corpse would look
like.
Note that below each paragraph I've indicated which reference the
information came from. At the end are the links to the references.
Several things have bearing on the condition of a corpse over time.
The first is:
==================
TEMPERATURE
==================
You are correct in making the distinction between bodies found in a
cold water environment and those that spend weeks in a warm water
environment. Your warm-water body would be pretty much skeletonized
within weeks, whereas the decomposition of the cold water body would
be slower.
Cold water and/or air slows the activity of carrion-eating insects
that are attracted by a "death scent." Flies and their maggots,
followed by beetles, can quickly consume the flesh of an exposed
corpse.
[reference: DEATH TO DUST]
In temperate areas, flies are the first to colonize the body and are
responsible for the most dramatic consumption of the organs and
tissues. In general, fly eggs are deposited almost immediately after
death in the daytime. After 1-2 days, maggots hatch and grow and eat.
Maggots pupate in 6 – 10 days. The adult flies emerge from the pupae
in 12 – 18 days.
[Reference BASIC FORENSIC PATHOLOGY]
However, below about 45F/5C, flies are grossly inactive and are less
likely to visit a body and lay eggs.
Extreme cold also inactivates the body's enzymatic breakdown (
autolysis ) and slows bacterial activity ( putrefaction ). Corpses in
freezing conditions may therefore, not decay. However, their skin
changes from its natural color to orange or black, usually embellished
with patches of mold.
[reference: DEATH TO DUST]
========================================
LOCATION & THE PRESENCE OF CARNIVORES
========================================
Another factor to take into account is whether or not your body spent
the last 2 weeks floating at sea or if it died on the beach.
Skeletonization is highly variable and can occur as early as 9 – 10
days in hot climates with many scavengers.
A body just lying on a cool shore for two weeks would likely be well
scavenged by resident carnivores; local dogs, sea birds, crabs,
mustellids. Dogs, coyotes, wolves and foxes eat the body's soft
tissues, especially the face and hands. They also prefer the spongy
parts of the arm and leg bones, pelvis and backbone.
A canine-eaten corpse generally follows a 4-stage pattern, the rate of
which would be dependent on what carnivores are present and how far
from human habitation the corpse lies (the more distant, the more
carnivores).
STAGES OF CARNIVORES FEEDING ON EXPOSED HUMAN CORPSES
STAGE 1 : Front of the chest eaten, one or both arms removed. Facial
tissues often eaten away.
STAGE 2 : Both legs eaten and possibly removed.
STAGE 3 : Only the bones of the spine remain connected. Most flesh
is gone.
STAGE 4 : All body parts devoured. The bones or fragments of bones
are widely scattered.
[reference: DEATH TO DUST]
A corpse that's been floating at sea presents a different type of
decomposition –
The typical scenario for a drowning victim is to sink, begin to
decompose with bacteria producing gas, which then causes the body to
rise to the surface.
[Reference BASIC FORENSIC PATHOLOGY]
"If a body rests in water for only a short time, especially if the
water is cold and contains minimal fish life, a variety of changes can
occur. If it is near the shore or rests near a sandy bottoms, sand may
wash into the mouth and throat, sometimes forming a hard cast. The
skin of the palms and soles initially becomes very wrinkled, called
"washerwoman skin" by pathologists, looking similar to a person's
hands and feet after spending too much time in a swimming pool or
bathtub."
"If the body is submerged in cool (less than 70F or 21C) to cold (less
than 40F or 4,4C) water for as little as one to three weeks, the
corpse's tissues convert to adipocere, a compound that stops the
activity of bacteria."
[reference: DEATH TO DUST]
ADIPOCERE is a yellowish-white substance composed of fatty acids and
soaps which forms after death on the fatty parts of the body like
cheeks, abdomen wall, and buttocks. Adipocere is greasy or "soapy" and
has a strong and musty odor.
[reference: FORENSIC PATHOLOGY]
"After being in water for hours to days, a corpse's skin becomes
white, soft, and extremely unpleasant to sight and smell. In warmer
water, the decomposition advances rapidly, with the skin quickly
loosening, darkening and becoming stained with blood. The body bloats
and the eyes protrude-the typical "floater". Eventually, the corpse
decomposes and becomes part of the environment"
[reference: DEATH TO DUST]
" Generalized bloating occurs after 60-72 hours, then blister
formation, and skin and hair slippage. Later, the remainder of the
body turns greenish black, and race is difficult to assess.
Individuals often appear much heavier than they truly weigh because of
the bloating from bacterial gas formation. “Gloving” of the hands and
feet may appear where the skin slips off intact, and you can actually
obtain fingerprints from the gloves. Gloving is also seen in several
other entities, including drowning and fire victims."
[Reference BASIC FORENSIC PATHOLOGY]
Additionally, fish, crabs, and other marine animals will quickly
consume as much of the corpse as they can before it washes up on to
the beach. They begin to feed on the soft parts of a corpse's face --
eyelids, lips and ears then the eyes, nose and mouth. If sharks or
other large carnivores are present, they will remove large chunks of
flesh and/or extremities.
[reference: DEATH TO DUST]
When drowning in the open water, marine activity will eventually
develop, where marine life eat at the tissue of the body. Marine
activity first occurs in the soft tissues of the head, including the
eyelids, nose, lips, and ears. Another artifact comes from scraping
the knees, arms, head on the bottom of the sand/ground.
[Reference BASIC FORENSIC PATHOLOGY]
=======================
REFERENCES
========================
DEATH TO DUST
http://users.skynet.be/lilith/english/deathtodust.html
FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
http://users3.ev1.net/~2ntense/ForensicPathology.htm
BASIC FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
[see pg 315 xvi for specifics on drowning]
http://www.musc.edu/pathology/teaching/handouts/Forensic.pdf
WORLD WIDE WORDS - ADIPOCERE
http://www.quinion.com/words/weirdwords/ww-adi1.htm
========================
As you can see, there are too many variables to paint an exact picture
for you, but I hope I've given you enough information that you can get
a pretty good idea of the condition of a corpse that's spent 2 weeks
either on the shore or in the sea in a cool climate.
Thank you for a most interesting question!
--K~
search terms – combinations of the following terms
human body / cadaver / corpse
forensic
decay / decomposition / decompose
cold water / ocean / underwater
drown / drowning |
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