How long could a kracken's carcass survive if preserved in salt?

The name of the pictureThe name of the pictureThe name of the pictureClash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP











up vote
1
down vote

favorite












I have a bay of water containing several kracken. One day, due to the efforts of a magical organization, all of the water disappears. The kracken fall and die on the bed of salt that is left behind. Each are about 50 meters in length.



Assuming the kracken are preserved by the salt, how long could their carcasses survive intact, before they rot away and only the bones are left? My plot calls for them to survive a bit more than two millennia, but I'm not sure if this is realistic.










share|improve this question







New contributor




jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 1




    I think you need to define "Kraken" somewhat as it can be used to refer to a variety of creatures of vastly different configuration and origin. Also what happens to the landscape after the great drying and it's climate going forward is very important to the eventual outcome.
    – Ash
    1 hour ago






  • 1




    Considering that Kraken are mostly made up of water, the salt would actually help destroy their carcasses initially.
    – Hosch250
    58 mins ago










  • I suspect the real problem would be enterprising restaurateurs. I'd have trouble leaving that much prime calamari alone for two millennia.
    – pojo-guy
    52 mins ago






  • 1




    "Only the bones are left": what "bones"? Traditional krakens are molluscs, specifically some sort of cephalopod. What kind of animals are those bony krakens?
    – AlexP
    47 mins ago










  • "before they rot away and only the bones are left", now I'm imagining one of those dinosaur skeleton displays at a museum that just has a big beak hanging from a wire in a giant room with a sign saying 'Full, intact Kraken skeleton'...
    – Giter
    46 mins ago















up vote
1
down vote

favorite












I have a bay of water containing several kracken. One day, due to the efforts of a magical organization, all of the water disappears. The kracken fall and die on the bed of salt that is left behind. Each are about 50 meters in length.



Assuming the kracken are preserved by the salt, how long could their carcasses survive intact, before they rot away and only the bones are left? My plot calls for them to survive a bit more than two millennia, but I'm not sure if this is realistic.










share|improve this question







New contributor




jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 1




    I think you need to define "Kraken" somewhat as it can be used to refer to a variety of creatures of vastly different configuration and origin. Also what happens to the landscape after the great drying and it's climate going forward is very important to the eventual outcome.
    – Ash
    1 hour ago






  • 1




    Considering that Kraken are mostly made up of water, the salt would actually help destroy their carcasses initially.
    – Hosch250
    58 mins ago










  • I suspect the real problem would be enterprising restaurateurs. I'd have trouble leaving that much prime calamari alone for two millennia.
    – pojo-guy
    52 mins ago






  • 1




    "Only the bones are left": what "bones"? Traditional krakens are molluscs, specifically some sort of cephalopod. What kind of animals are those bony krakens?
    – AlexP
    47 mins ago










  • "before they rot away and only the bones are left", now I'm imagining one of those dinosaur skeleton displays at a museum that just has a big beak hanging from a wire in a giant room with a sign saying 'Full, intact Kraken skeleton'...
    – Giter
    46 mins ago













up vote
1
down vote

favorite









up vote
1
down vote

favorite











I have a bay of water containing several kracken. One day, due to the efforts of a magical organization, all of the water disappears. The kracken fall and die on the bed of salt that is left behind. Each are about 50 meters in length.



Assuming the kracken are preserved by the salt, how long could their carcasses survive intact, before they rot away and only the bones are left? My plot calls for them to survive a bit more than two millennia, but I'm not sure if this is realistic.










share|improve this question







New contributor




jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











I have a bay of water containing several kracken. One day, due to the efforts of a magical organization, all of the water disappears. The kracken fall and die on the bed of salt that is left behind. Each are about 50 meters in length.



Assuming the kracken are preserved by the salt, how long could their carcasses survive intact, before they rot away and only the bones are left? My plot calls for them to survive a bit more than two millennia, but I'm not sure if this is realistic.







reality-check sea-creatures preservation






share|improve this question







New contributor




jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question







New contributor




jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question






New contributor




jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 1 hour ago









jhcdrok

112




112




New contributor




jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






jhcdrok is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







  • 1




    I think you need to define "Kraken" somewhat as it can be used to refer to a variety of creatures of vastly different configuration and origin. Also what happens to the landscape after the great drying and it's climate going forward is very important to the eventual outcome.
    – Ash
    1 hour ago






  • 1




    Considering that Kraken are mostly made up of water, the salt would actually help destroy their carcasses initially.
    – Hosch250
    58 mins ago










  • I suspect the real problem would be enterprising restaurateurs. I'd have trouble leaving that much prime calamari alone for two millennia.
    – pojo-guy
    52 mins ago






  • 1




    "Only the bones are left": what "bones"? Traditional krakens are molluscs, specifically some sort of cephalopod. What kind of animals are those bony krakens?
    – AlexP
    47 mins ago










  • "before they rot away and only the bones are left", now I'm imagining one of those dinosaur skeleton displays at a museum that just has a big beak hanging from a wire in a giant room with a sign saying 'Full, intact Kraken skeleton'...
    – Giter
    46 mins ago













  • 1




    I think you need to define "Kraken" somewhat as it can be used to refer to a variety of creatures of vastly different configuration and origin. Also what happens to the landscape after the great drying and it's climate going forward is very important to the eventual outcome.
    – Ash
    1 hour ago






  • 1




    Considering that Kraken are mostly made up of water, the salt would actually help destroy their carcasses initially.
    – Hosch250
    58 mins ago










  • I suspect the real problem would be enterprising restaurateurs. I'd have trouble leaving that much prime calamari alone for two millennia.
    – pojo-guy
    52 mins ago






  • 1




    "Only the bones are left": what "bones"? Traditional krakens are molluscs, specifically some sort of cephalopod. What kind of animals are those bony krakens?
    – AlexP
    47 mins ago










  • "before they rot away and only the bones are left", now I'm imagining one of those dinosaur skeleton displays at a museum that just has a big beak hanging from a wire in a giant room with a sign saying 'Full, intact Kraken skeleton'...
    – Giter
    46 mins ago








1




1




I think you need to define "Kraken" somewhat as it can be used to refer to a variety of creatures of vastly different configuration and origin. Also what happens to the landscape after the great drying and it's climate going forward is very important to the eventual outcome.
– Ash
1 hour ago




I think you need to define "Kraken" somewhat as it can be used to refer to a variety of creatures of vastly different configuration and origin. Also what happens to the landscape after the great drying and it's climate going forward is very important to the eventual outcome.
– Ash
1 hour ago




1




1




Considering that Kraken are mostly made up of water, the salt would actually help destroy their carcasses initially.
– Hosch250
58 mins ago




Considering that Kraken are mostly made up of water, the salt would actually help destroy their carcasses initially.
– Hosch250
58 mins ago












I suspect the real problem would be enterprising restaurateurs. I'd have trouble leaving that much prime calamari alone for two millennia.
– pojo-guy
52 mins ago




I suspect the real problem would be enterprising restaurateurs. I'd have trouble leaving that much prime calamari alone for two millennia.
– pojo-guy
52 mins ago




1




1




"Only the bones are left": what "bones"? Traditional krakens are molluscs, specifically some sort of cephalopod. What kind of animals are those bony krakens?
– AlexP
47 mins ago




"Only the bones are left": what "bones"? Traditional krakens are molluscs, specifically some sort of cephalopod. What kind of animals are those bony krakens?
– AlexP
47 mins ago












"before they rot away and only the bones are left", now I'm imagining one of those dinosaur skeleton displays at a museum that just has a big beak hanging from a wire in a giant room with a sign saying 'Full, intact Kraken skeleton'...
– Giter
46 mins ago





"before they rot away and only the bones are left", now I'm imagining one of those dinosaur skeleton displays at a museum that just has a big beak hanging from a wire in a giant room with a sign saying 'Full, intact Kraken skeleton'...
– Giter
46 mins ago











3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
3
down vote



accepted










I'm going to assume that when you say "Kraken" you mean "giant octopus monster" meaning something biochemically identical to a modern octopus but huge. I'm also assuming that the water stays gone and the environment is perpetually dry. Given those assumptions the real world example of seal carcasses in Antarctica's Dry Valleys should be educational. Those bodies are preserved by the dryness of the environment more than the chemical action of the salt in the air but both play a part, they remain relatively intact (as in you can still tell it's a seal) for at least as much as 2600 years, so your two millennia shouldn't be an implausible time period.



Note that the only "bone" in a traditional Kraken would be the beak, possibly sucker hooks as well if they take more after giant squid.






share|improve this answer





























    up vote
    2
    down vote













    Preserving organic materials or organisms in salt requires more than just laying on top of a salty layer.



    It requires complete coverage with salt and frequent renewal of the salt, to remove the salt saturated with the water extracted from the organism.



    Considering that your Kraken, whatever it is made of, is 50 meters long, I think only a very minor part of its body would be in contact with salt.



    Decomposition of the body would then be unavoidable.



    If you want to preserve the bodies in salt, they should have parts with low water content (if you dehydrate a jellyfish you will end up with nothing). A Kraken, being often depicted as a sort of cephalopod, has practically no hard parts.



    If you handwave this and somehow manage to properly prepare the body in salt (and I assume a magical organization capable of emptying a bay can also manage to stir some Krakens in salt) by completely covering it in salt, your best bet is to cover the whole volume with non permeable materials, like clay. If layers of clay preserved rock salt in the bottom of the sea, they can presumably protect your salted Krakens for a couple of millenia.






    share|improve this answer




















    • I'm not sure of the chemistry, could the rising salinity as the sea dries suck out enough water to make further preservation without tissue lose practicable?
      – Ash
      35 mins ago










    • @Ash, I don't get your question
      – L.Dutch♦
      28 mins ago










    • As the sea dries out can the increasing salt concentration suck enough water from the Krakens to leave them dry enough that simply being on the salt pan will finish the job.
      – Ash
      24 mins ago










    • @Ash, the salt would extract water by osmotic pressure via the cellular membrane of the part in contact with it. The parts not in direct contact would likely rot well before the water can diffuse away.
      – L.Dutch♦
      22 mins ago

















    up vote
    0
    down vote













    If "all of the water disappears" includes the water in the krakens and you could keep the bay dry, then you would likely end up with some kraken mummies that could easily last a couple thousand years.



    Mummification works best on desiccated corpses that are left in dry areas, which describes the krakens and your former bay perfectly. As you expected, salt would help preserve them by leeching extra moisture out from the carcasses. However, the key is keeping the bay dry: unless the wizards also dam up the entrance to the bay and ensure that it doesn't fill with rain water or humid air, then no amount of salt would help them and they would quickly rot.




    As a side note, if you wanted some natural kraken salt statues then the magical organization can regularly let water seep into the bay/krakens before removing it again. This cycle of seeping/evaporation will fill the kraken's cells with salt in a process called permineralization, the end result being petrified kraken corpses made entirely of salt with little to no organic material remaining.





    share




















      Your Answer




      StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function ()
      return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function ()
      StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix)
      StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
      );
      );
      , "mathjax-editing");

      StackExchange.ready(function()
      var channelOptions =
      tags: "".split(" "),
      id: "579"
      ;
      initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

      StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
      // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
      if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
      StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
      createEditor();
      );

      else
      createEditor();

      );

      function createEditor()
      StackExchange.prepareEditor(
      heartbeatType: 'answer',
      convertImagesToLinks: false,
      noModals: false,
      showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
      reputationToPostImages: null,
      bindNavPrevention: true,
      postfix: "",
      noCode: true, onDemand: true,
      discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
      ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
      );



      );






      jhcdrok is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









       

      draft saved


      draft discarded


















      StackExchange.ready(
      function ()
      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f126426%2fhow-long-could-a-krackens-carcass-survive-if-preserved-in-salt%23new-answer', 'question_page');

      );

      Post as a guest






























      3 Answers
      3






      active

      oldest

      votes








      3 Answers
      3






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      3
      down vote



      accepted










      I'm going to assume that when you say "Kraken" you mean "giant octopus monster" meaning something biochemically identical to a modern octopus but huge. I'm also assuming that the water stays gone and the environment is perpetually dry. Given those assumptions the real world example of seal carcasses in Antarctica's Dry Valleys should be educational. Those bodies are preserved by the dryness of the environment more than the chemical action of the salt in the air but both play a part, they remain relatively intact (as in you can still tell it's a seal) for at least as much as 2600 years, so your two millennia shouldn't be an implausible time period.



      Note that the only "bone" in a traditional Kraken would be the beak, possibly sucker hooks as well if they take more after giant squid.






      share|improve this answer


























        up vote
        3
        down vote



        accepted










        I'm going to assume that when you say "Kraken" you mean "giant octopus monster" meaning something biochemically identical to a modern octopus but huge. I'm also assuming that the water stays gone and the environment is perpetually dry. Given those assumptions the real world example of seal carcasses in Antarctica's Dry Valleys should be educational. Those bodies are preserved by the dryness of the environment more than the chemical action of the salt in the air but both play a part, they remain relatively intact (as in you can still tell it's a seal) for at least as much as 2600 years, so your two millennia shouldn't be an implausible time period.



        Note that the only "bone" in a traditional Kraken would be the beak, possibly sucker hooks as well if they take more after giant squid.






        share|improve this answer
























          up vote
          3
          down vote



          accepted







          up vote
          3
          down vote



          accepted






          I'm going to assume that when you say "Kraken" you mean "giant octopus monster" meaning something biochemically identical to a modern octopus but huge. I'm also assuming that the water stays gone and the environment is perpetually dry. Given those assumptions the real world example of seal carcasses in Antarctica's Dry Valleys should be educational. Those bodies are preserved by the dryness of the environment more than the chemical action of the salt in the air but both play a part, they remain relatively intact (as in you can still tell it's a seal) for at least as much as 2600 years, so your two millennia shouldn't be an implausible time period.



          Note that the only "bone" in a traditional Kraken would be the beak, possibly sucker hooks as well if they take more after giant squid.






          share|improve this answer














          I'm going to assume that when you say "Kraken" you mean "giant octopus monster" meaning something biochemically identical to a modern octopus but huge. I'm also assuming that the water stays gone and the environment is perpetually dry. Given those assumptions the real world example of seal carcasses in Antarctica's Dry Valleys should be educational. Those bodies are preserved by the dryness of the environment more than the chemical action of the salt in the air but both play a part, they remain relatively intact (as in you can still tell it's a seal) for at least as much as 2600 years, so your two millennia shouldn't be an implausible time period.



          Note that the only "bone" in a traditional Kraken would be the beak, possibly sucker hooks as well if they take more after giant squid.







          share|improve this answer














          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer








          edited 41 mins ago

























          answered 55 mins ago









          Ash

          22.3k459133




          22.3k459133




















              up vote
              2
              down vote













              Preserving organic materials or organisms in salt requires more than just laying on top of a salty layer.



              It requires complete coverage with salt and frequent renewal of the salt, to remove the salt saturated with the water extracted from the organism.



              Considering that your Kraken, whatever it is made of, is 50 meters long, I think only a very minor part of its body would be in contact with salt.



              Decomposition of the body would then be unavoidable.



              If you want to preserve the bodies in salt, they should have parts with low water content (if you dehydrate a jellyfish you will end up with nothing). A Kraken, being often depicted as a sort of cephalopod, has practically no hard parts.



              If you handwave this and somehow manage to properly prepare the body in salt (and I assume a magical organization capable of emptying a bay can also manage to stir some Krakens in salt) by completely covering it in salt, your best bet is to cover the whole volume with non permeable materials, like clay. If layers of clay preserved rock salt in the bottom of the sea, they can presumably protect your salted Krakens for a couple of millenia.






              share|improve this answer




















              • I'm not sure of the chemistry, could the rising salinity as the sea dries suck out enough water to make further preservation without tissue lose practicable?
                – Ash
                35 mins ago










              • @Ash, I don't get your question
                – L.Dutch♦
                28 mins ago










              • As the sea dries out can the increasing salt concentration suck enough water from the Krakens to leave them dry enough that simply being on the salt pan will finish the job.
                – Ash
                24 mins ago










              • @Ash, the salt would extract water by osmotic pressure via the cellular membrane of the part in contact with it. The parts not in direct contact would likely rot well before the water can diffuse away.
                – L.Dutch♦
                22 mins ago














              up vote
              2
              down vote













              Preserving organic materials or organisms in salt requires more than just laying on top of a salty layer.



              It requires complete coverage with salt and frequent renewal of the salt, to remove the salt saturated with the water extracted from the organism.



              Considering that your Kraken, whatever it is made of, is 50 meters long, I think only a very minor part of its body would be in contact with salt.



              Decomposition of the body would then be unavoidable.



              If you want to preserve the bodies in salt, they should have parts with low water content (if you dehydrate a jellyfish you will end up with nothing). A Kraken, being often depicted as a sort of cephalopod, has practically no hard parts.



              If you handwave this and somehow manage to properly prepare the body in salt (and I assume a magical organization capable of emptying a bay can also manage to stir some Krakens in salt) by completely covering it in salt, your best bet is to cover the whole volume with non permeable materials, like clay. If layers of clay preserved rock salt in the bottom of the sea, they can presumably protect your salted Krakens for a couple of millenia.






              share|improve this answer




















              • I'm not sure of the chemistry, could the rising salinity as the sea dries suck out enough water to make further preservation without tissue lose practicable?
                – Ash
                35 mins ago










              • @Ash, I don't get your question
                – L.Dutch♦
                28 mins ago










              • As the sea dries out can the increasing salt concentration suck enough water from the Krakens to leave them dry enough that simply being on the salt pan will finish the job.
                – Ash
                24 mins ago










              • @Ash, the salt would extract water by osmotic pressure via the cellular membrane of the part in contact with it. The parts not in direct contact would likely rot well before the water can diffuse away.
                – L.Dutch♦
                22 mins ago












              up vote
              2
              down vote










              up vote
              2
              down vote









              Preserving organic materials or organisms in salt requires more than just laying on top of a salty layer.



              It requires complete coverage with salt and frequent renewal of the salt, to remove the salt saturated with the water extracted from the organism.



              Considering that your Kraken, whatever it is made of, is 50 meters long, I think only a very minor part of its body would be in contact with salt.



              Decomposition of the body would then be unavoidable.



              If you want to preserve the bodies in salt, they should have parts with low water content (if you dehydrate a jellyfish you will end up with nothing). A Kraken, being often depicted as a sort of cephalopod, has practically no hard parts.



              If you handwave this and somehow manage to properly prepare the body in salt (and I assume a magical organization capable of emptying a bay can also manage to stir some Krakens in salt) by completely covering it in salt, your best bet is to cover the whole volume with non permeable materials, like clay. If layers of clay preserved rock salt in the bottom of the sea, they can presumably protect your salted Krakens for a couple of millenia.






              share|improve this answer












              Preserving organic materials or organisms in salt requires more than just laying on top of a salty layer.



              It requires complete coverage with salt and frequent renewal of the salt, to remove the salt saturated with the water extracted from the organism.



              Considering that your Kraken, whatever it is made of, is 50 meters long, I think only a very minor part of its body would be in contact with salt.



              Decomposition of the body would then be unavoidable.



              If you want to preserve the bodies in salt, they should have parts with low water content (if you dehydrate a jellyfish you will end up with nothing). A Kraken, being often depicted as a sort of cephalopod, has practically no hard parts.



              If you handwave this and somehow manage to properly prepare the body in salt (and I assume a magical organization capable of emptying a bay can also manage to stir some Krakens in salt) by completely covering it in salt, your best bet is to cover the whole volume with non permeable materials, like clay. If layers of clay preserved rock salt in the bottom of the sea, they can presumably protect your salted Krakens for a couple of millenia.







              share|improve this answer












              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer










              answered 51 mins ago









              L.Dutch♦

              65.3k20155307




              65.3k20155307











              • I'm not sure of the chemistry, could the rising salinity as the sea dries suck out enough water to make further preservation without tissue lose practicable?
                – Ash
                35 mins ago










              • @Ash, I don't get your question
                – L.Dutch♦
                28 mins ago










              • As the sea dries out can the increasing salt concentration suck enough water from the Krakens to leave them dry enough that simply being on the salt pan will finish the job.
                – Ash
                24 mins ago










              • @Ash, the salt would extract water by osmotic pressure via the cellular membrane of the part in contact with it. The parts not in direct contact would likely rot well before the water can diffuse away.
                – L.Dutch♦
                22 mins ago
















              • I'm not sure of the chemistry, could the rising salinity as the sea dries suck out enough water to make further preservation without tissue lose practicable?
                – Ash
                35 mins ago










              • @Ash, I don't get your question
                – L.Dutch♦
                28 mins ago










              • As the sea dries out can the increasing salt concentration suck enough water from the Krakens to leave them dry enough that simply being on the salt pan will finish the job.
                – Ash
                24 mins ago










              • @Ash, the salt would extract water by osmotic pressure via the cellular membrane of the part in contact with it. The parts not in direct contact would likely rot well before the water can diffuse away.
                – L.Dutch♦
                22 mins ago















              I'm not sure of the chemistry, could the rising salinity as the sea dries suck out enough water to make further preservation without tissue lose practicable?
              – Ash
              35 mins ago




              I'm not sure of the chemistry, could the rising salinity as the sea dries suck out enough water to make further preservation without tissue lose practicable?
              – Ash
              35 mins ago












              @Ash, I don't get your question
              – L.Dutch♦
              28 mins ago




              @Ash, I don't get your question
              – L.Dutch♦
              28 mins ago












              As the sea dries out can the increasing salt concentration suck enough water from the Krakens to leave them dry enough that simply being on the salt pan will finish the job.
              – Ash
              24 mins ago




              As the sea dries out can the increasing salt concentration suck enough water from the Krakens to leave them dry enough that simply being on the salt pan will finish the job.
              – Ash
              24 mins ago












              @Ash, the salt would extract water by osmotic pressure via the cellular membrane of the part in contact with it. The parts not in direct contact would likely rot well before the water can diffuse away.
              – L.Dutch♦
              22 mins ago




              @Ash, the salt would extract water by osmotic pressure via the cellular membrane of the part in contact with it. The parts not in direct contact would likely rot well before the water can diffuse away.
              – L.Dutch♦
              22 mins ago










              up vote
              0
              down vote













              If "all of the water disappears" includes the water in the krakens and you could keep the bay dry, then you would likely end up with some kraken mummies that could easily last a couple thousand years.



              Mummification works best on desiccated corpses that are left in dry areas, which describes the krakens and your former bay perfectly. As you expected, salt would help preserve them by leeching extra moisture out from the carcasses. However, the key is keeping the bay dry: unless the wizards also dam up the entrance to the bay and ensure that it doesn't fill with rain water or humid air, then no amount of salt would help them and they would quickly rot.




              As a side note, if you wanted some natural kraken salt statues then the magical organization can regularly let water seep into the bay/krakens before removing it again. This cycle of seeping/evaporation will fill the kraken's cells with salt in a process called permineralization, the end result being petrified kraken corpses made entirely of salt with little to no organic material remaining.





              share
























                up vote
                0
                down vote













                If "all of the water disappears" includes the water in the krakens and you could keep the bay dry, then you would likely end up with some kraken mummies that could easily last a couple thousand years.



                Mummification works best on desiccated corpses that are left in dry areas, which describes the krakens and your former bay perfectly. As you expected, salt would help preserve them by leeching extra moisture out from the carcasses. However, the key is keeping the bay dry: unless the wizards also dam up the entrance to the bay and ensure that it doesn't fill with rain water or humid air, then no amount of salt would help them and they would quickly rot.




                As a side note, if you wanted some natural kraken salt statues then the magical organization can regularly let water seep into the bay/krakens before removing it again. This cycle of seeping/evaporation will fill the kraken's cells with salt in a process called permineralization, the end result being petrified kraken corpses made entirely of salt with little to no organic material remaining.





                share






















                  up vote
                  0
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  0
                  down vote









                  If "all of the water disappears" includes the water in the krakens and you could keep the bay dry, then you would likely end up with some kraken mummies that could easily last a couple thousand years.



                  Mummification works best on desiccated corpses that are left in dry areas, which describes the krakens and your former bay perfectly. As you expected, salt would help preserve them by leeching extra moisture out from the carcasses. However, the key is keeping the bay dry: unless the wizards also dam up the entrance to the bay and ensure that it doesn't fill with rain water or humid air, then no amount of salt would help them and they would quickly rot.




                  As a side note, if you wanted some natural kraken salt statues then the magical organization can regularly let water seep into the bay/krakens before removing it again. This cycle of seeping/evaporation will fill the kraken's cells with salt in a process called permineralization, the end result being petrified kraken corpses made entirely of salt with little to no organic material remaining.





                  share












                  If "all of the water disappears" includes the water in the krakens and you could keep the bay dry, then you would likely end up with some kraken mummies that could easily last a couple thousand years.



                  Mummification works best on desiccated corpses that are left in dry areas, which describes the krakens and your former bay perfectly. As you expected, salt would help preserve them by leeching extra moisture out from the carcasses. However, the key is keeping the bay dry: unless the wizards also dam up the entrance to the bay and ensure that it doesn't fill with rain water or humid air, then no amount of salt would help them and they would quickly rot.




                  As a side note, if you wanted some natural kraken salt statues then the magical organization can regularly let water seep into the bay/krakens before removing it again. This cycle of seeping/evaporation will fill the kraken's cells with salt in a process called permineralization, the end result being petrified kraken corpses made entirely of salt with little to no organic material remaining.






                  share











                  share


                  share










                  answered 9 mins ago









                  Giter

                  9,68842231




                  9,68842231




















                      jhcdrok is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









                       

                      draft saved


                      draft discarded


















                      jhcdrok is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












                      jhcdrok is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.











                      jhcdrok is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













                       


                      draft saved


                      draft discarded














                      StackExchange.ready(
                      function ()
                      StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f126426%2fhow-long-could-a-krackens-carcass-survive-if-preserved-in-salt%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                      );

                      Post as a guest













































































                      Comments

                      Popular posts from this blog

                      What does second last employer means? [closed]

                      Installing NextGIS Connect into QGIS 3?

                      One-line joke