What happens after death, has always been an object of curiosity for man! The different religions, beliefs and traditions, handed down over the millennia, they tried to imagine an unearthly destiny. But on Earth, instead, what remains? Even scientifically speaking, it can be said that there is life after death! The life in question, however, is not ours, but that of a thicket cadaverous fauna. Fear, eh?

After death, the decomposition process begins immediately, as the cells no longer receive oxygen and other nutrients that allow them to survive. Ndeathand get a proprocess called "autolysis": some digestive enzymes, first contained in lysosomes (cell vesicles), come out and cause the destruction of cells themselves. In a short time, the bacteria startsanus to degrade the tissues and putrefaction occursand. Typically soft tissue degradation, all’iinterior of a coffin, it takes about ten years, leaving only the skeleton. If the corpse remains outdoors, the action of atmospheric agents must also be considered, wild animals and insects, which speed up the process.

Let us dwell on the insects found in corpses: these they are defined "workers of death ”and classified into eight teams that follow each other according to a fixed pattern. These teams belong to four categories: necrofagi (those who eat the corpse), necrophils (parasites or predators of necrophages), happiness (which feed in particular on tissues, game, etc), opportunists (those who use the corpse as a refuge). La particular sequence of insects that arrive and their evolution, provide information, for example, to date death and are studied by forensic entomology, branch of forensic medicine. Here are the teams and their order of appearance:

Blue bottle fly (Calliphora) Portrait, Austin's Ferry, Tasmania, Australia. 3.5:1 magnification.

– First team: is the first to arrive and is made up of Calliphora erytrocephala (blue fly), Calliphora vomitoria and the housefly; they lay eggs on the corpse immediately after death, the larvae appear later 10 about hours and later 10-20 days pupae are formed.

– Second team: sarcophagus flies and flies of the genera Lucilia and Cynomya, which lay larvae in the emphysematous phase (where there is swelling of the soft tissues) and follow a cycle like the previous ones.

– Third team: beetles and moths, which occur a few months after death.

– Fourth team: salami and cheese fly, small beetles.

– Fifth team: diptera and beetles.

– Sixth team: acaridi.

– Seventh and eighth team: beetles, leading to skeletonization.

In addition, arthropods such as spiders and millipedes e, in cadavers exposed to cool and humid temperatures, molds can be found.

To avoid stomach upset, you can always think that if they are there, you are no longer there!

Sources:

http://www.societaentomologicaitaliana.it/it/pubblicazioni/informatore-del-giovane-entomologo.html

https://www.medicinapertutti.it/argomento/putrefazione/

Image:https://www.jjharrison.com.au/