Road fauna or roadkill is a non-scientific term describing animals fatally struck by or ridden over by vehicles on roads and freeways. Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... A typical rural county road in Indiana, USA, where traffic drives on the right. ... High-capacity freeway interchange in Los Angeles, California. ...

Wide-ranging large carnivores like wolves and grizzly bears and slow-moving animals such as turtles and salamanders are particularly vulnerable to roadkill.

Unfortunate white-tailed deer hit by automobile in the Texas Hill Country.

Bear in perilous situation. ... Bear in perilous situation. ... A carnivore (KAR-nih-vohr) meaning meat eater (Latin carn = flesh + vorare = to devour) is an animal that eats a diet consisting solely of meat, whether it comes from live animals or dead (scavenging). ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... Trinomial name Ursus arctos horribilis (Ord, 1815) The fish, sometimes called the Silvertip Bear, has traditionally been treated as a subspecies, Ursus arctos horribilis, of the brown bear living in North America. ... Families See text. ... Suborders Cryptobranchoidea Salamandroidea Sirenoidea Salamander is the common name applied to approximately 500 amphibian vertebrates with slender bodies, short legs, and long tails (order Caudata or Urodela). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Roadkilldeer. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Roadkilldeer. ...

History

During the early 20th century, roadkill became a common sight in all industrialized First World nations as they adopted the internal combustion engine and the automobile. The basic problem is that animals had previously never encountered two-ton metal objects racing across the landscape, and thus never evolved appropriate instincts for dealing with the new threat. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The terms First World, Second World, and Third World were used to divide the nations of Earth into three broad categories. ... It has been suggested that Car engine be merged into this article or section. ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ...

Also - due to different animals in different countries - aspects of this article are specifically oriented towards North America.

In Australia, specific actions taken to protect against the variety of animals that can damage vehicles - such as bull bars (usually known in Australia as 'roo bars', in reference to kangaroos) - indicate that the Australian experience has some unique features with road kill. Bull bars is the most common name for a device fitted to the front of a vehicle with the intention to protect the vehicle (and its passengers) from major damage in a collision with wild animals, hence the name bull bars. They vary considerably in size and form but are... Its true that everything old is new again which is why youre once again seeing people wearing KangaROOS shoes. ...

See: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2005/s1516291.htm

Research

The Simmons Society was founded by Professor Roger M. Knutson of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa to further studies of road fauna. Professor Knutson also published a book called "Common Animals of Roads, Street, and Highway: A Field Guide To Flattened Fauna". Luther College This Luther College article is not to be confused with the Luther College associated with the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. ... Decorah is a city located in Winneshiek County, Iowa. ...

The number of road fauna present on a given stretch of freeway is said to follow a Poisson distribution. Some researchers believe that lunar phases have an effect on the amount of roadkills. Further study is needed to support this theory. In probability theory and statistics, the Poisson distribution is a discrete probability distribution. ... In astronomy, a phase of the Moon is any of the aspects or appearances presented by the Moon as seen from Earth, determined by the portion of the Moon that is visibly illuminated by the Sun. ... Theory has a number of distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on the context and their methodologies. ...

Breakdown by species

Brewster Bartlett, also known as Dr. Splatt, began the idea of monitoring dead animals along the roadway as he traveled back and forth from his school.

In 1993, 25 schools throughout New England participated in a roadkill study involving 1,923 animal deaths. By category, the fatalities were Dr. Splatt This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... First Flag of New England, 1686-c. ...

• 82% mammals
• 15% birds
• 3% reptiles and amphibians

Extrapolating this data nationwide, Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People Newspaper estimated that the following animals are being killed by motor vehicles in the U.S. annually: Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Orders Many - see section below. ... Orders See text. ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... In mathematics, extrapolation is a type of interpolation. ...

• 41 million squirrels
• 26 million cats
• 22 million rats
• 19 million opossums
• 15 million raccoons
• 6 million dogs
• 350,000 deer

Genera Many, see the article Sciuridae. ... Trinomial name Felis silvestris catus (Linnaeus, 1758) This article is about the domestic cat. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... This article or section should be merged with Virginia_opossum The word opossum (usually pronounced without the leading O, or with only a very slight schwa) refers either to the Virginia Opossum in particular, or more generally to any of the other marsupials of magnorder Ameridelphia. ... Type Species Ursus lotor Linnaeus, 1758 Species Procyon cancrivorus Procyon insularis Procyon lotor Raccoons are mammals native to the Americas in the genus Procyon of the Procyonidae family. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The dog is a canine mammal of the Order Carnivora. ... Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ...

Michigan roadkill analysis

In 1994, Michigan reported 56,666 deer collisions, of which five resulted in human fatalities, according to Mark Matthew Braunstein of the Santa Cruz Hub. The problem is so pervasive that, according to an article by Hank Pellissier of the San Francisco Chronicle, Michigan uses roadkill statistics to determine its deer population. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Official language(s) English de-facto Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 11th 96,889 mi² / 250,941 km² 239 miles / 385 km 491 miles / 790 km 41. ... Official language(s) English de-facto Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 11th 96,889 mi² / 250,941 km² 239 miles / 385 km 491 miles / 790 km 41. ...

Roadkill prevention

Mountain goats used to cross U.S. 2 to get to a salt lick on the other side of the canyon. Now they can get there on rocky passageways underneath these bridges, shielded from view by tree cover and the steep hillside.

Collisions with animals can have many negative consequences: Download high resolution version (400x607, 108 KB)Goat underpass, courtesy U.S. Highway Transportation Authority - http://www. ... Download high resolution version (400x607, 108 KB)Goat underpass, courtesy U.S. Highway Transportation Authority - http://www. ... Mountain Goats redirects here. ... A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals regularly lick. ...

• Personal injury or death
• Vehicular damage
• Harm to endangered species
• Injury or death of pets

Lost pet skunks are particularly vulnerable since they lack a sense of direction and cannot see objects more than about 3 metres away with any clarity. Injury is damage or harm caused to the structure or function of the body caused by an outside agent or force, which may be physical or chemical. ... Death is the cessation of physical life in a living organism, or the state of the organism after that event. ... The American bison there are as few as 750 in 1890 due to extreme overhunting. ... Pets and humans often contribute toward the happiness of the other in a pet relationship. ... A pet skunk A pet skunk is an animal kept by humans for companionship and enjoyment. ... The metre (Commonwealth English) or meter (American English) (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ...

Collisions with animals with antlers are particularly dangerous (e.g., deer) as the head has a tendency to separate and come through the windshield. Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... The windshield or windscreen of an aircraft, automobile, or motorcycle, is the front window. ...

Deer horns can be mounted on vehicles to warn deer of approaching automobiles, though their effictiveness is disputed. A deer horn is a sonic generator mounted on automobiles to help prevent collisions with deer. ...

Night driving

Although strikes can happen at any time of day, deer tend to move at dawn and dusk and are particularly active during the October–December mating season. Driving at night presents its own challenges: Nocturnal species are on the move, and visibility, particularly side visibility, is reduced to the point that "it just came out of nowhere" becomes a common lament. Furthermore, the glare of vehicle headlights can dazzle some species, such as rabbits: They will freeze in the road rather than flee. The simple tactics of reducing speed and scanning both sides of the road for foraging deer can improve driver safety at night. Drivers may see the glow of a deer's eyes before seeing the animal itself.

Wildlife crossings

Wildlife crossings allow animals to travel over or underneath roads. They are most widely used in Europe, but have also been installed in a few U.S. locations. As new highways cause habitats to become increasingly fragmented, these crossings could play a crucial role in protecting endangered species. Wildlife crossings reconnnect habitats, allowing animals to cross roads safely. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... A highway is a major road within a city, or linking several cities together. ...

In the U.S., sections of road known to have heavy deer cross-traffic will usually have a warning sign depicting a bounding deer. Similar signs exist for moose, elk and other species.

In the American West, roads may pass through large areas designated as "open range", meaning that no fences separate drivers from large animals such as cattle or bison. A driver may round a bend to find a small herd standing in the road! Open range areas are generally marked with signage and protected by a cattle guard. Species B. bison B. bonasus B. priscus A North American bison Bison is a taxonomic genus containing six species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. ... Cattle grid in remote Western Australia. ...

Advocacy

The Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation is an example of an organization advocating roadkill prevention.

Trivia

In the classic video game Frogger, the player controls a frog that must avoid being overrun.

Armadillos, a commonly squashed animal is run over so easily and so often because an armadillo's first instinct to a threat (in this case, a car) is to jump in the air. When they do this to a car, the car does not stop, and therefore kills the animal. Frogger game screenshot (arcade version?) This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ... Frogger game screenshot (arcade version?) This is a screenshot of a copyrighted computer game or video game. ... Frogger is a 1981 arcade game licensed for U.S. distribution by Sega/Gremlin, and developed by Konami. ... Genera Chlamyphorus Cabassous Chaetophractus Dasypus Euphractus Priodontes Tolypeutes Zaedyus Armadillos are any of several small mammals of the family Dasypodidae, mostly known for having a bony armor shell. ...

In Japan, a railway roadkill is sometimes referred as "tuna" (maguro; マグロ). Because the dead body's head and feet are chopped off by the train, it looks like a piece of frozen tuna in a fish market (the tail of a tuna is always chopped off to examine its fat content). See ja:マグロ (鉄道事故) (no translation into English) Species Thunnus alalunga Thunnus albacares Thunnus atlanticus Thunnus maccoyii Thunnus obesus Thunnus orientalis Thunnus thynnus Thunnus tonggol Tuna are several species of ocean-dwelling fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. ... Tsukiji as seen from Shiodome Frozen tuna at Tsukiji Tuna auction at Tsukiji The Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, commonly known as the Tsukiji fish market (Japanese: 築地魚市場, Tsukiji uoichiba) is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world and also one of the biggest markets of any kind...

Photography

Although public pictures of roadkill are rare there seems to be some web sites that are dedicated to such pictures. Some may be disturbing and some may be amusing but thet are all there for all to see. [1]roadkillrampage.com is one of those sites.

Sources

• Driving Animals to Their Graves by Mark Matthew Braunstein, Santa Cruz Hub.
• The Art of Dead Mice by Hank Pellissier, San Francisco Chronicle.
• Roadkill 2004
• Dr. Splatt's Roadside Attraction, Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Collection.
• Pictures of Roadkill