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For the professional wrestler known as Roadkill, see Michael Depoli, for the movie marketed as Roadkill in the UK and Australia, see Joy Ride, for the Supernatural TV series episode, see Roadkill (Supernatural).

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

Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by motor vehicles. The animal species most likely to be recorded as a roadkill are mammals. To reduce the possibility of striking animals some road authorities use signs or create underpasses. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... RoadKill is a professional wrestler who started with Extreme Championship Wrestling. ... Joy Ride is a 2001 thriller film directed by John Dahl and starring Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski and Steve Zahn. ... This article is about the US TV series. ... Roadkill is episode sixteen of the second season of the television series Supernatural. ... Bear in perilous situation. ... Bear in perilous situation. ... Carnivorism redirects here. ... 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... For the Brooklyn-based indie rock band, see Grizzly Bear (band). ... For other uses, see Turtle (disambiguation). ...

Roadkill can be eaten, and various recipe books have been published.

History

During the early 20th century, roadkill or "flat meats" became a common sight in all industrialized First World nations as they adopted the internal combustion engine and the automobile. (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. ... A colorized automobile engine The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer (typically air) occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ... Car redirects here. ...

In Australia, specific actions taken to protect against the variety of animals that can damage vehicles - such as bullbars (usually known in Australia as 'roo bars', in reference to kangaroos) - indicate that the Australian experience has some unique features with road kill.^[1] A bullbar (also roo bar or nudge bar in Australia) is a device fitted to the front of a vehicle to protect it and its passengers from damage in a collision with an animal. ... Species Macropus rufus Macropus giganteus Macropus fuliginosus Macropus antilopinus A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning large foot). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the Red Kangaroo, the Antilopine Kangaroo, and the Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroo...

Research

The Simmons Society was founded by Professor Roger M. Knutson of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, US 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".^[2] For other places with the same name, see Luther College (disambiguation). ... Decorah is a city located in Winneshiek County, Iowa. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Largest metro area Des Moines metropolitan area Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...

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 road kills. Further study is needed to support this hypothesis. In probability theory and statistics, the Poisson distribution is a discrete probability distribution that expresses the probability of a number of events occurring in a fixed period of time if these events occur with a known average rate, and are independent of the time since the last event. ... Lunar phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. ... Look up Hypothesis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

A recent study showed that insects too are prone to a very high risk of roadkill incidence ^[3]. Research showed interesting patterns in insect/butterfly road kills and relation with the vehicle density. Although the insect community is equally at risk, much of the attention goes to bigger, more charismatic animals.

Breakdown by species

In 1993, 25 schools throughout New England participated in a roadkill study involving 1,923 animal deaths. By category, the fatalities were:^[4] This article is about the region in the United States of America. ...

• 81% mammals
• 15% birds
• 3% reptiles and amphibians
• 1% undiscernible

Extrapolating this data nationwide, Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People Newspaper estimated that the following animals are being killed by motor vehicles in the United States annually:^[5] Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Reptilia redirects here. ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... In mathematics, extrapolation is the process of constructing new data points outside a discrete set of known data points. ...

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

This study may not have considered differences in observability among taxa (i.e. dead raccoons are easier to see than dead frogs), and has not been published in peer-reviewed scientific literature. This article is about the animal. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Species 50 species; see text *Several subfamilies of Muroids include animals called rats. ... Genera Several; see text Opossum fur is quite soft, and was once commonly used in the bathtub as a sponge. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Common Raccoon native range in red, feral range in blue. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... This article is about the ruminent animal. ...

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.^[6] This article is about the U.S. State. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ...

Roadkill prevention

Mountain goats used to cross U.S. Route 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, besides the obvious consequence of ending a life: 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. ... Rocky Mountain Goat and Mountain Goats redirect here. ... United States Highway 2 is an east-west United States Highway. ... A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals regularly lick. ...

• Human injury or death
• Vehicle 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 m (10 ft) 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. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation), Dead (disambiguation), or Death (band). ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... This article is about animals kept for companionship. ... A pet skunk is a skunk kept by humans for companionship and enjoyment. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Collisions with animals with antlers are particularly dangerous (e.g., deer) as the head has a tendency to separate and come through the windshield^{[citation needed]}. Panoramic (wrap-around) windshield on a 1959 Edsel Corsair. ...

Deer horns can be mounted on vehicles to warn deer of approaching automobiles, though their effectiveness is disputed^{[citation needed]}. 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. When headlights approach a nocturnal animal, this makes it hard for the creature to see the approaching car (nocturnal animals see better in the dark than in the light). 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. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; originally derived from Latin oestrus) comprises the recurring physiologic changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian placental females. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rabbit (disambiguation). ... Foraging just means looking for food (or, metaphorically, anything else). ...

Wildlife crossings

Traffic signs are often used to indicate areas of increased animal activity, these signs are not always successful (As shown by the dead emu to the right of the sign).

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 and in parts of Western Canada. As new highways cause habitats to become increasingly fragmented, these crossings could play a crucial role in protecting endangered species. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 995 KB) taken by User:Hossen27 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 995 KB) taken by User:Hossen27 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... See also: street sign theft External links http://homepages. ... For other uses, see EMU. Binomial name (Latham, 1790) The Emu has been recorded in the areas shown in orange. ... Wildlife crossings reconnnect habitats, allowing animals to cross roads safely. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... This article is about the region in Canada. ... For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ... Look up habitat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In the United States, 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. For other uses, see Moose (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Elk (disambiguation). ...

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. Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... Species †B. antiquus B. bison B. bonasus †B. latifrons †B. occidentalis †B. priscus Bison in winter. ... Cattle grid in remote Western Australia. ...

A few states now have sophisticated systems to protect motorists from large animals. One of these systems is called RADS (Roadway Animal Detection System). A solar powered sensor detects animals near the roadway and flashes a light to alert oncoming drivers. Ultraviolet image of the Sun. ...

Advocacy

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

Cooking and eating

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2007)

Sometimes called the highway supermarket, roadkill, if not diseased and sufficiently fresh, is generally safe to eat. A number of cookbooks specifically for roadkill have been written.^[7] Image File history File links Question_book-3. ...

Roadkill is sometimes a part of pet foods protein.^[8] Articles in category Pet foods There are 16 articles in this section of this category. ...

Between 1992 and 1999 there was a restaurant chain in New England called the Road Kill Cafe, which pretended to serve road-killed animals. There are a number of Websites with similar names. It is possible that there are several cafes, in various countries, that claim to serve roadkill: the slogan "You kill it, we'll grill it" is not unique.

A problem with eating road kill is the tendency for small particles of bone shattered by impact to be embedded in the surrounding tissue. This is especially common in multiple-hit road kill.

See also

• Bushmeat
• Habitat conservation
• Habitat fragmentation
• Habitat destruction
• Wildlife corridor
• Wildlife

This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... To conserve habitat for wild species and prevent their extinction or reduction in range is a priority of a great many groups that cannot be easily characterized in terms of any one ideology. ... Habitat fragmentation is a process of environmental change important in evolution and conservation biology. ... Habitat destruction is a process of land use change in which one habitat-type is removed and replaced with another habitat-type. ... A wildlife corridor is the artificial joining of fragmented habitats. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

Armadillos are a commonly squashed animal because their first instinct to a threat (in this case, a car) is to jump in the air. The car does not stop, and therefore kills the animal. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... For other uses, see Armadillo (disambiguation). ...

In Japan, a railway roadkill is sometimes referred to 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 マグロ (鉄道事故) Tuna (Railroad Accident) For other uses, see Tuna (disambiguation). ... Tsukiji as seen from Shiodome End of the fresh tuna auction at Tsukiji. ...

Roadkill is sometimes used as an art form. Some of these artists are formally trained in traditional taxidermy preparation while others are merely experimenting. Roadkill as art is not new, American artist Stephen Paternite has been exhibiting roadkill pieces since the 1970's.^[9] This article is about the philosophical concept of Art. ... A mounted snow leopard. ... Stephen Paternite (American born: 1952) multi-media artist ( known for his Roadkill artwork ) received his initial art training in the early 1970s at Cooper School of Art, Cleveland, Ohio In 1973, Paternite published 2 limited edition portfolios of serigraphic prints, entitled Six Clouds volume 1 and volume 2 In...

There has been at least one case in the United States where a jail inmate was allegedly forced to eat roadkill.

We reject Sheriff Clegg's contention that the relevant law governing his conduct was not clearly established at the time Appellee was allegedly served contaminated roadkill meat in prison., Goodrick v. Clegg, 129 F.3d 125, Unpublished Disposition, 9th Cir.(Idaho), Nov 13, 1997.

Plaintiff Goodrick was incarcerated at Kootenai County Jail in Idaho on two occasions. While there he was fed roadkill, which he claims made him very sick., Goodrick v. Clegg, 210 F.3d 382, Unpublished Disposition, 9th Cir.(Idaho), Jan 4, 2000.

References

• 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.
• www.roadkills.pixeldiversity.com, Collection of roadkills pictures.

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 289th day of the year (290th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Just Because It's In Slow Motion Doesn't Mean You Can Stop It - Joy Hunsberger - an artist who has been photographing roadkill as a form of ancestor worship since 1997.
• Caught in the Headlights — a documentary film that examines the conflict between wildlife and automobile culture
• Stop Roadkill — an artist using roadkill in art
• "Fritz Art @ Pigeon Press" - Roadkill eating artist draws and paints colorful roadkill inspired icons
• Lake Jackson Ecopassage — a campaign to mitigate roadkill along the world's worst turtle-killing highway
• Save The Alabama Red-bellied Turtle — a campaign to stop the killing of endangered Alabama Red-bellied Turtles along US 90 (Mobile Causeway)
• Roadkill Zoo — A comic book about zombie roadkill that come back from the dead. Published by Novaris Entertainment. Nominated for the 2007 Russ Manning Award.