How long does it take an average body to decay?

Answer 1

It depends on the location in which the corpse (or body) is in. If it's in a grassy area, (Includes meadows, hills, jungles, woods and forests) it will decompose quickly due to the many insects which roam around the area. The flies lay eggs, maggots are born, and they eat the body from the inside out. Disgusting I know. It would take a body to decay for about fourteen days until becoming a skeleton or just bones. The skeleton itself would take many decades before it becomes dust. If it's in a desert or canyon, it will just dry up. Sort of like how fruit dries up. It could be considered that it decomposes if animals like vultures are around to eat it up. If it's in water or a swamp, the skin would last for a very long time. Just look at those ancient bog bodies discovered. Their skeletons have already dissolved leaving just a bag of wet skin. These bodies are apparently thousands of years old. Finally, if it's in a cold mountain or tundra, it will just freeze up and will not rot due to no insects being around. Again though, any animal can find it and eat it up. Many thousand of years bodies have also been discovered in a decent state. So there you have it. If you want a short answer though, it would take lots of days, sometimes a few weeks, months, even years at times.

Answer 2

It can take several weeks to several years for a body to fully decay, depending on various factors such as environmental conditions, burial depth, presence of scavengers, and the embalming process.

Answer 3

Approx one year