ABSTRACT
An understanding of carrion insect ecology has very practical value in the world of forensic science and human homicide. It has long been recognized that certain species of insects utilize carrion for a part or all of their life cycle and that many of these species colonize in a predictable pattern and sequence. Understanding this sequence allows a forensic entomologist to predict many details about the circumstances surrounding the death, including tenure of insects, location of wounds, and whether a body has been disturbed or not. Although carrion ecology involves much more than just insects, it is the fauna of the cadaver that has been most greatly studied and applied and will be discussed here.
