# What is the most common road kill in your area? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2011, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378 "2011-02-14T23:11:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/41 "2011-02-15T03:03:58Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > There was a sociological study a few years ago (using very realistic fake armadillos) that concluded a great many people swerve TO hit them, so it really is a miracle they keep on truckin’. Gophers are well-hated on the prairies - I wouldn’t be surprised at people aiming for them with their cars, either. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/42 "2011-02-15T03:08:35Z")
The ones I notice most: 1. Ground hogs 2. Buzzards (killed while eating other road kill) 3. Possums 4. Raccoons We have a lot of armadillos in the area, but it’s rare to see them as roadkill. I’ve also stopped to help large tortoises across the road and seen others do this. I’ve yet to see a road kill gator, but it must happen. I have seen a gator crossing a road once, near a golf course. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/43 "2011-02-15T03:21:12Z")
I’ve never seen roadkill in AZ that wasn’t a bird (and I’m not sure that those are even roadkill) or a cat (I see those from time to time). Here in the desert we don’t really have many road-crossing animals. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/44 "2011-02-15T03:27:15Z")
Elephants Well, it does happen occasionally, but probably really it’s chickens outside the city, with the odd pig or two. Dogs inside the city. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/45 "2011-02-15T03:29:50Z")
Skunk. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/46 "2011-02-15T03:33:02Z")
Another for the Richardson Ground Squirrel. Though Whitetails are pretty common as well. And yes, I’ve swerved to hit gophers. Usually unsuccessfully. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/47 "2011-02-15T04:39:34Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > It is a miracle that armadillos survive as a species because their most notable talent is getting it by cars. It doesn’t help that they adapted the trait of being road colored and looking like a rock. They also sometimes jump a few feet off the ground when startled. It probably works better with coyotes than it does with cars. ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/48 "2011-02-15T04:54:16Z")
:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/49 "2011-02-15T04:58:34Z")
Weird, where did the rest of my post go? Oh, well; to re-iterate; Deer and raccoon here. BTW, a few years ago, 1/2 mile east of Springfield, Nebraska, I saw a spider on 132nd street big enough I had time to adjust my vehicle course and run over it with my left front tire. Ick. I have also once nailed a bat on my windshield. Yes, the bats GI tract ruptured. Yes, the windshield wipers performed poorly at removing it. Yes, I was again grossed out. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/50 "2011-02-15T05:00:41Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > IFor whatever reason, most urban roadkill is swept away or otherwise not noticed by me when I go out and about. So what I see is what’s not swept away by other cars, and thus far it’s mostly been kangaroos. That’s spot on. In comparison to rabbits and most of the other species mentioned kangaroos are big and the carcases don’t get carried off by eagles, foxes etc, or get squished to oblivion by a couple of cars. Most I’ve ever noticed was over 200 in a 120km stretch of teh Sturt Highway heading west of Darlington Point. Run off means there is always have a bit more grass on the edges of the bitumen and toe furoughs than the surrounding paddocks, which the roos come in to feed on. Another candidate here would be galahs. During the summer cereal harvest they gorge on spilt grain beside the road to the point they can barely fly. I’ve been in a truck that hit more than 10 in a single strike. It felt like cannon fire. There’d be thousands killed on the approaches to the silos in every siding and recieval point. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/51 "2011-02-15T05:04:48Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Another candidate here would be galahs. During the summer cereal harvest they gorge on spilt grain beside the road to the point they can barely fly. I’ve been in a truck that hit more than 10 in a single strike. It felt like cannon fire. There’d be thousands killed on the approaches to the silos in every siding and recieval point. Yeah, galahs and **cockatoos** at the moment. Between here and Yarrawonga (40km away) I counted thirty eight white cockies on a trip last week, and that was only those on the actual bitumen. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/52 "2011-02-15T05:06:49Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Elephants > > Well, it does happen occasionally, but probably really it’s chickens outside the city, with the odd pig or two. Dogs inside the city. And if you ever do hit anything – chicken, dog, whatever – never stop. Otherwise it inevitably transpires that you’ve hit some rare, prize-winning animal whose genes possessed cancer-curing traits and which was worth thousands of baht, so pony up or the owner’s cousin, a local cop, will be called to arbitrate. Just keep on going. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/53 "2011-02-15T05:08:03Z")
Here in the Pacific NW, it’s raccoon, raccoon, raccoon, deer, housecat, raccoon, deer, and raccoon. I’ve seen ONE roadkilled otter, and one roadkilled mink in the 15 years I’ve lived here. Each were rare enough for me to stop the car, back up, and collect the specimen for skeletonization. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/54 "2011-02-15T05:32:17Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > That’s spot on. > > In comparison to rabbits and most of the other species mentioned kangaroos are big and the carcases don’t get carried off by eagles, foxes etc, or get squished to oblivion by a couple of cars. > > Most I’ve ever noticed was over 200 in a 120km stretch of teh Sturt Highway heading west of Darlington Point. Run off means there is always have a bit more grass on the edges of the bitumen and toe furoughs than the surrounding paddocks, which the roos come in to feed on. > > Another candidate here would be galahs. During the summer cereal harvest they gorge on spilt grain beside the road to the point they can barely fly. I’ve been in a truck that hit more than 10 in a single strike. It felt like cannon fire. There’d be thousands killed on the approaches to the silos in every siding and recieval point. Wow. When I included kangaroos in the poll, I did it as sort of a joke, but then figured that maybe once in a while they did become road kill. I had no idea this many kangaroos died from being hit by vehicles! I must go to Australia post haste before all of them are obliterated! ---
**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/55 "2011-02-15T08:11:44Z")
Hedgehogs and squirrels, here in Finland. Also the occasional pigeon (usually downtown where they hang around in the middle of the street and don’t get out of the way of buses quick enough.) Roadkill, I’ve found, is a very useful learning aid when becoming acquainted with local fauna. For the first month or so that we lived in Texas, my mother and I got a crash course on Texas wildlife by surveying the sides of roads. Flat raccoon, flat rattlesnake, flat…something, exploded armadillo. It was very educational. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/56 "2011-02-15T10:17:14Z")
Bear?:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Walther\_Ego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Walther\_Ego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walther_Ego)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/57 "2011-02-15T11:08:06Z")
I live in city center. The pidgeons, seagulls and crows seem to be careful enough so I say it’s bicycles. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/58 "2011-02-15T12:44:07Z")
From Southern Sweden: I went by car from the East to the West coast and back last summer and noted that badgers really must be high on the death wish list followed by foxes. ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/59 "2011-02-15T12:51:09Z")
Oh, and I always take the train, so …Depressed people ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2011, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/60 "2011-02-15T12:57:06Z")
Unless someone has evidence that some animals are smarter than others, or takes into account the relative fearlessness of animals like skunk and porcupine who think they are naturally protected, I’d say the percentage of roadkill roughly reflects the local animal population. In my neighborhood, both foxes and rabbits are rare, and so they are rarely seen as roadkill. Squirrels and deer are numerous and prolific, and a lot of them get run over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378.md?page=4)