Death and Burial

Do maggots get in coffins? Adult females of this species are known to dig down through over two meters of dirt and enter coffins to lay their eggs. The maggots hatch and feed on the decaying tissue – they are known to prefer lean tissue (while other taxa, such as some species of beetles, prefer … Read more

Do caskets decompose? Wooden coffins (or caskets) decompose, and often the weight of earth on top of the coffin, or the passage of heavy cemetery maintenance equipment over it, can cause the casket to collapse and the soil above it to settle. Read more on en.wikipedia.org Over time, burial practices and rituals have changed, and … Read more

Why are graves 6 feet deep? People may have also buried bodies 6 feet deep to help prevent theft. There was also concern that animals might disturb graves. Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies. A body buried 6 feet deep would also … Read more

What happens when you are buried in a casket? They release toxic gases that cause your body to bloat up and smell. Most of your tissues will probably liquify. But thin skin, like on your eyelids, could dry out and mummify, while fatty areas of your body can turn into a soap-like substance called grave … Read more