These gruesome images show the inside of a body farm – a graveyard where the dead are left to rot in cages.

Row upon row of human corpses are lined up in the open air in the remote Texan field as part of scientific research into how bodies break down.

The so-called body farm is actually a crime lab that helps police determine when murder victims were killed.

Scientists at The Forensic Anthropology Centre at Texas State University study human remains at various stages of decomposition.

They can then compare them to remains of people who may have died in suspicious circumstances.

Bodies are shielded under metal cages to stop vultures from eating the rotting flesh.

The evidence gathered here can be used in court and researchers have been called to give evidence for both prosecution and defence.

Insect larvae that feed on corpses are among the clues that allow experts to estimate how long a person has been dead.

Donated bodies can also be used to help with facial reconstruction.

By using the skulls of those who volunteer for the open burial - plus pictures of them before they died - scientists can help police produce an image of how victims may have looked.

Most of the bodies are from "living donors" who signed up before they died – although some are donated by next of kin who cannot afford a proper funeral.