How cool would it be to have killed Dragon Bodies to lay still snow up and freeze or eventually turning to bones?

THAT would be SWEET.

As an amateur biologist, I think that would be a bad decision. I'd be too busy staring at death's slow decay, in fascination, as saprotrophic processes break down the carbon-based lizard that once tried to bite my head to be able to play the game.

I'd venture to say that the dragons' bodies will disappear once you absorb their souls in order to learn new dragonshouts. maybe with a cool disintigration-like animation?

Well, in apost a couple weeks ago, I'd rather use the bones to frame out a nice shelter :nod:

Snow and ice will actually preserve dead bodies. :ermm:
Still, some decaying would be cool actually.
Don't know how much into depth they should go, but it would be cool.
Still, it's one of the things I could live without.
Support anyway.

oh dear god yes, imagine coming back a month later and finding the skeleton of the dragon lying there! perhaps you could pick up the skull and put it on your mantlepiece. \
Also, remember that concept art where there appears to be a bear standing over a dead mammoth? What if wild animals came out and scavenged the corpses you killed? (I can just imagine sitting for hours in stealth mode watching bears fight over a couple deer carcasses). Something like this could make this game far more wonderful than it's already going to be.

Well thats interesting idea, but I think it will not have implementation in game,
piles of dead bodies hunger for FPS they will disappear again until checked as persistent in CS
But there is can be mods like
Reneers Corpse Mod
http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8939
and
Nice if we can reanimate corpses in different stages of decay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewF4gYB2c1s

Interesting idea but I don't see the long lasting value unless Necromancy is featured with the mechanics similar to Alchemy.

If Oblivion had realistic soil erosion, I wouldn't be surprised... I mean, this is Bethesda!

They're not a carbon based lifeform. Their skeletons are made of pure HEAVY METAL!!!!

If that were so, they'd be unkillable. 'cos we all know that nothing can kill the metal.

That's true.

"You can't kill the metal.
The metal will live on

Punk rock tried to kill the metal
But they failed, as they were smite to the ground
New wave tried to kill the metal
But they failed, as they were stricken down to the ground
Grunge tried to kill the metal
They failed, as they were thrown to the ground"

Decay would be too graphic in my opinion, not to mention (at least near paths and towns/cities) people wouldn't just leave dead bodies laying around.

I don't want decaying bodies but I would like to find some antlers lying on the forest floor or a few bones here and there. Just thinking about rotting corpses makes my stomach turn. I can almost smell it. So much for breakfast.

For the dragons it looks like when you absorb the power after killing them they have a burn animation like the vampires in the Blade movies, this is shown to some extent in the latest trailor.

For human and animals I think it will just be the usual respawn time like oblivion (think this was 3 ingame days)

Do you know what else would be cool, some form of Burial or Funeral, I mean in oblivion if you slaughter half a town, the rest of the town just leaves the corpses in their houses or on the streets... for a long time sometimes they never disappear, I don't think Rufio ever gets buried tho I could be wrong... also it was annoying when someone attacks you in your bedroom and you slay them (I.E. Corrupt Imperial Guard), their corpse NEVER disappears, unless you use the console to disable them.

But yes, if you slay a bunch of bandits, they should decay, some should come back as zombies and rats should feast on the rest... over time other stronger things kill rats/zombies until you get back up to bandits or what not. Also Vampires should turn to instant dust, why did Vampires have corpses?

Pretty much my thinking; I'd imagine a corpse left in Skyrim's wilderness wouldn't have time to decay, it'd become a lovely snack for whatever wolf/bear/horrific otherworldy monstrosity happens to be in the area. Perhaps scavenging creatures will guard their finds ferociously?