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towers. As a result, the Zoroastrians in Iran have started burying their dead in graves that are lined with concrete to prevent direct contact with the earth. Many Zoroastrians in India still use the towers, but have run into difficulties because of a drastic decline in the population of vultures. According to some reports, more than 99% of the birds have died from exposure to a drug given to livestock. With fewer birds available, a corpse may lie on a tower for several weeks before all of the flesh is eaten.
Nukekubi
In Japanese folklore, the Nukekubi are strange creatures who look like ordinary humans during the daytime, but whose heads detach from their bodies at night. After a head separates from its body, it flies around looking for human prey. When it sees a potential victim, it flies toward the person and tries to frighten him or her by emitting a series of loud shrieks. When it gets close enough to attack, it plunges its teeth into the victim's throat.
The head of a Nukekubi always waits for nightfall before it leaves the body. Then it detaches smoothly from the neck and flies away. After the head leaves, the rest of the body is no longer under the control of a brain, and it sits sluggishly at the original location throughout the night. Unless the head returns and re-attaches itself before sunrise, both it and the body will die. Thus, one way to kill a Nukekubi is to hide the body after the head flies away.
During daytime the Nukekubi use their resemblance to humans to try to blend into society. Sometimes a small group of them will pretend to be a human family. If examined closely, they can be identified by a line of red markings around the base of the neck where the head separates. But these markings can be easily hidden under clothing or jewelry.
Note: Nukekubi are sometimes confused with another Japanese folkloric creature called a Rokuro-Kubi. The two creatures are similar, but the heads of the Rokuro-Kubi don't completely detach from their bodies. Instead, their necks can stretch to enormous lengths, allowing their heads
