20 Pictures Of Natural Mummies That Made Us Say ‘Whoa’

The Hollywood version of mummies is often the most people remember when they think of mummies – an ill-wrapped man with a staggered walk, groggily moaning. Of course, that was a scary movie exaggeration based on the mummies found buried in Egypt that were found dutifully wrapped in cloth to help with preservation. But that isn’t the only way bodies can be preserved – sometimes a body can be completely preserved without care post-mortem. 

Bodies that weren’t properly mummified but were still somehow preserved are considered to be natural mummies. In these situations, it’s generally the weather and other natural circumstances that naturally mummified remains: salty air, frigid temperatures, and dry environments can all be attributed to helping people and animals begin the mummification process after death. Some naturally preserved creatures hardly look like any time has passed.