What happened to the carcass of Smaug after the events of The Hobbit?
I remember reading that Smaug fell into the flaming ruins of Laketown (and that many tried to dive in later for the riches it may have carried?) - but what then? Was the carcass left there to rot? Could visitors see its bare, huge bones stick out of the water?
According to the description of the events given on page 254 in chapter 14, Fire and Ice , Smaug's bones remained where they had fallen. As far as I can recall, their status wasn't mentioned again in the post-Hobbit Lord Of The Rings novels.
They removed northward higher up the shore; for ever after they had a dread of the water where the dragon lay. He would never again return to his golden bed, but was stretched cold as stone, twisted upon the floor of the shallows. There for ages his huge bones could be seen in calm weather amid the ruined piles of the old town. But few dared to dive into the shivering water or recover the precious stones that fell from his rotting carcase.
The Hobbit- p.254
