Cold Weather Decomposition Study on a Rhesus Macaque

In October of 2018, a frozen, headless macaque was placed in the UMass Taphonomy Lab and the taphonomic process of its decomposition was studied  Motion activated infrared cameras captured images of any organisms visiting the macaque throughout the process.  In addition, visits were made biweekly to record the progression of the decomposition.  Due to the time of year and weather patterns, the process of decomposition was unique in that insect activity was subsequent to animal activity.  Also, the wide variety of animals which fed the macaque cooperated in sharing the macaque as a food source.