Anatomy
Timelines
Weather & Temperature
Decomposition
Insects (General)
100
These three body segments are found in all adult insects.
What are the head, thorax, and abdomen?
100
This larval stage of blowfly development feeds on rotting flesh and has two spiracle openings.
What is instar 2?
100
These temperatures will slow down decomposition.
What is cold?
100
There are this many stages of decomposition.
What is 5?
100
This type of metamorphosis.
What is incomplete?
200
Blowflies have this many instars of larvae in its life cycle.
What is three?
200
At room temperature (70f), blowflies spend this many hours inside their chrysalis..
What is 143 hours?
200
This type of humidity (high or low) will negatively affect decomposition.
What is low humidity?
200
Cadavers in this stage of decomposition look similar to their living counterparts.
What is the fresh stage?
200
The general term for the structure where insects metamorphosize.
What is the pupa? (cocoon or chrysalis)
300
This piece of sporting equipment is used as an analogy for this stage of blowfly development.
What is a pupa/chrysalis?
300
When estimating time of death or post mortem interval, forensic entomologists use this age of insects.
What are the oldest insects?
300
High winds will lower a cadaver's internal body temperature much quicker than a body exposed to no/low wind speeds. High winds will affect decomposition in this way.
What is slow down decomposition?
300
Blowflies colonize dead bodies during these decomposition stages.
What are stages 1,2, and 3? (fresh, bloat, decay)
300
Insects and other athropods have this type of skeleton.
What is an exoskeleton?
500
This part of insects that feed on decomposing human bodies is the primary reason why they colonize the body at different decomposition stages.
What are the mouths/mouthparts?
500
Prior to forming their chrysalises, blowflies will move toward these conditions.
What are dark or down (into the ground), under something (furniture)?
500
Besides altering the temperature and moisture available in a cadaver/dead body, knowing the weather and temperature conditions also help forensic entomologists to identify this.
What is the insects that would've been active during those weather conditions?
500
At this stage of decomposition, a forensic entomologist would probably be dismissed from the investigation in favor of a forensic anthropologist (skeleton expert).
What is stage 5 (skeletal/dry)?
500
Use the image and your knowledge of your own digestive system to answer this question. When human flesh is found inside this organ prior to digestion, forensic entomologists can extract DNA from the organ.
What is the crop?