# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**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 16, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/81 "2011-02-16T02:20:58Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > I’ve heard a variation: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To prove to the deer that it could be done.” Gee, my joke sure gets around. 🙂 ---
**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 16, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/82 "2011-02-16T03:23:19Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Elephants > [@ShibbOleth](#): > > In that case, unless the offending vehicle is at least the size of a dump truck, I presume that the road kill is the car and passengers. Moose usually beat cars, so elephants probably are barely diverted. Can be nasty for the elephant victim upcountry if it’s a bus or lorry. But in the city, the poor beasts get smacked by cars from time to time and get a broken leg or something. Sad. More reason to keep the elephants out of the city. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/83 "2011-02-16T04:47:54Z")
squirrel in Dearborn, Mi. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/84 "2011-02-16T13:11:16Z")
Southern England: foxes, pheasants (in season), badgers. The “classic” roadkill as used in cartoons is the hedgehog, but they’re less common than they were. (I did stop a few months ago when I was on my bike to give a hedgehog a helping hand up the kerb to stop it adding to the stats though.) In autumn, it’s definitely pheasants. They breed loads of them for shooting in this area and they are the most clueless creatures. I really don’t see how hunting pheasants is any kind of challenge at all. They are (a) slow, (b) noisy, and © brightly coloured. What’s more, they won’t stay hidden in undergrowth and let people pass, but will instead wait until you are a few feet away and then squawk loudly and lumber slowly into the air. You could catch them with a butterfly net, never mind a shotgun. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/85 "2011-02-16T13:24:18Z")
Skunks. Types of bird: pigeons, sparrows. ---
**Author:** ![tallcoldone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9a140/32.png) [@tallcoldone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tallcoldone)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/86 "2011-02-16T17:24:05Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I also vote for squirrel. My town is lousy with squirrels and they don’t seem to be getting any smarter wrt traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/87 "2011-02-16T17:48:01Z")
> [@tallcoldone](#): > > My town is lousy with squirrels and they don’t seem to be getting any smarter wrt traffic. Sure they are. You only see the dumb ones in 2-D. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/88 "2011-02-17T01:25:23Z")
Possums, cats, and squirrels. I did see a beaver last week, though. ---
**Author:** ![CTburns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@CTburns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CTburns)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/89 "2011-02-17T06:10:27Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Don’t you be “awwwing” the gophers, devil beasts that they are (they kill horses and cows all the time - the holes are just the right size for leg-snapping). I hate chipmunks only because of their tiny holes throughout the yard! I can certainly sympathize with you if your horses and livestock are falling in squirrell holes! I think that would make me s hoot the cute little bastards! Chipmunks I drown in a 5 gallon bucket, half filled with water and covered with sunflower seeds. The chipmunk swimming pool! ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/90 "2011-02-17T08:31:19Z")
In my immediate area in Florida, elderly pedestrians have to rank pretty high on the road kill list. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/91 "2011-02-17T08:43:21Z")
Other: squirrels and skunks. ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/92 "2011-02-17T10:04:09Z")
I live in a city so it’s mostly pigeons. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/93 "2011-02-17T12:16:11Z")
Squirrels. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/94 "2011-02-17T15:25:01Z")
Skunk. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/95 "2011-02-17T15:31:07Z")
Deer and turkey are common but probably squirrels are the most numerous. I’ve seen possums and skunks only rarely. Once I saw a coyote! ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/96 "2011-02-17T15:42:53Z")
Another vote for squirrel. Here in Athenstown, we have many tall oaks and no way of decreasing the population other than feline predation and vehicular impact. Those critters breed twice a year, so we get a new batch of ignorant squirrels regularly enough that my street is rarely clear of one ore more decaying corpses. I like to think of it as evolution in action. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/97 "2011-02-17T17:06:28Z")
Yup, squirrels here too, with cats in second place. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378/98 "2011-02-17T17:40:08Z")
Mostly raccoons and posums. I stepped in one of the latter once. Had to throw the sock and sneaker out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-common-road-kill-in-your-area/571378.md?page=4)