The team discovered that shrimp, lobsters, and other hungry locals soon stripped the bodies to the bone, but the effectiveness of this varied depending on the environment. When oxygen levels were low, per Live Science, larger creatures like sharks stayed away, while smaller ones that could survive those conditions comfortably were often unable to penetrate the skin of the pigs.

Per Science Daily, Anderson has concluded that a pig’s carcass of comparable size to a human’s could remain intact in ocean water “for weeks or months, depending on oxygen levels, season, depth, and whether it remained in contact with the seabed.” The scientist added that, at greater depths in more oxygen-rich conditions, “it can be expected that such a body would be skeletonized in less than four days.”

When it comes to the decomposition process itself, forensic pathologist Dr. Dinesh Rao (via Forensic Pathology Online) reports that the putrefaction of a body is slower when submerged in water than in the open air. Cold saltwater slows the process still further, Rao writes, while warmer freshwater speeds it up. In water as on land, too, factors such as clothing can protect the body from the effects of decomposition for longer.