Skeletonization of the Human Body

Skeletonization usually requires months to occur in temperate conditions, but it may develop in less time if larger predators have access to the body (see the following image). Larger predators may remove body parts and create postmortem artifacts, such as gnaw marks on bones. The application of anthropologic studies is helpful in assessing the decedent’s gender, race, size, and age. Unless antemortem injuries affect the bony structures, evidence of the cause of death in some cases may be completely lost as a result of skeletonization and the loss of soft tissue.