Road Kill Chronicles
Topic 32000 | Page 1
Huh. Ummm, well props on starting a unique thread. I don’t think this topic has been covered.
I’ve been driving nights a lot and sometimes get bored. I started making a mental list of the road kill critters that I’ve seen on Interstates, US and State highways.
These are my unscientific observations.
Most Common Road Kill Critters
1. Armadillo (must be dumb as a rock)
2. Possums
3. Raccoons
4. Deer
(Hey DOT , please spend some money to remove the deer carcasses. I appreciate that buzzards and crows need to eat, but come on guys, gets gross after a couple weeks)
Less Common, but have seen more than once
1. Tortoises
2. Coyotes
3. Fox
4. Skunk
5. Squirrel
6. Raptors (Owls, Hawk)
7. Dog
8. Cat
Very typical to see Armadillo, Possum and Raccoons in clusters of 2-3. Must be getting whacked while hooking up for romance.
Usually I see the smaller 6”-8” tortoises, this is migration season for males seeking mates. However, I saw two very large 12” at least tortoises I think still alive on rural MO highway. I was able to straddle them so hopefully didn’t kill it.
I’ve seen both a live Armadillo and a Possum crossing interstate at night. Again I was able to straddle them with the truck, but don’t know if the trailer missed or not.
Passed a Bloodhound sitting in tall grass on a rural MO roadside. Thankfully it just sat there as I passed.
It breaks my heart to hit someone’s puppy or cat. I hit a puppy with my car on US65 in AR. The dog was chasing something across the highway at full speed. No way to avoid it. Some people should take better care for their family pet safety.
The grossest sighting was coming upon a fresh deer kill at night around a curve. The poor animal was torn to pieces. Blood and guts everywhere. Felt like I needed both a truck wash and shower after that one!
I see a lot of deer around 1:00-3:00am. They like the fresh grass along highways. I usually mentally tell them “Stay where you are, Sweeties. I don’t want to kill you”.
I know this is a macabre topic, but I was bored!
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Careful w Moose or Elk they fight back.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I saw the moose crossing signs in Maine.
Definitely don’t want to hit something that large.
In my college days a group of 3 seniors were driving late night from a graduation party in Boulder, CO back to Golden, CO. A rancher along this rural highway raised Bison.
These guys hit a bull Bison that had gotten out onto the highway. All four were killed instantly.
The school granted them posthumous degrees for their grieving parents.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
To date, I've seen everything for roadkill minus wolverine, horses, wolves, mountain lion or grizzly bear.
I wonder how many animals die of natural causes while crossing a highway?
A couple I wasn’t expecting was a gator and a wild hog.
We've always called them armadeado's
I’ve been driving nights a lot and sometimes get bored. I started making a mental list of the road kill critters that I’ve seen on Interstates, US and State highways.
These are my unscientific observations.
Most Common Road Kill Critters
1. Armadillo (must be dumb as a rock)
2. Possums
3. Raccoons
4. Deer
(Hey DOT , please spend some money to remove the deer carcasses. I appreciate that buzzards and crows need to eat, but come on guys, gets gross after a couple weeks)
Less Common, but have seen more than once
1. Tortoises
2. Coyotes
3. Fox
4. Skunk
5. Squirrel
6. Raptors (Owls, Hawk)
7. Dog
8. Cat
Very typical to see Armadillo, Possum and Raccoons in clusters of 2-3. Must be getting whacked while hooking up for romance.
Usually I see the smaller 6”-8” tortoises, this is migration season for males seeking mates. However, I saw two very large 12” at least tortoises I think still alive on rural MO highway. I was able to straddle them so hopefully didn’t kill it.
I’ve seen both a live Armadillo and a Possum crossing interstate at night. Again I was able to straddle them with the truck, but don’t know if the trailer missed or not.
Passed a Bloodhound sitting in tall grass on a rural MO roadside. Thankfully it just sat there as I passed.
It breaks my heart to hit someone’s puppy or cat. I hit a puppy with my car on US65 in AR. The dog was chasing something across the highway at full speed. No way to avoid it. Some people should take better care for their family pet safety.
The grossest sighting was coming upon a fresh deer kill at night around a curve. The poor animal was torn to pieces. Blood and guts everywhere. Felt like I needed both a truck wash and shower after that one!
I see a lot of deer around 1:00-3:00am. They like the fresh grass along highways. I usually mentally tell them “Stay where you are, Sweeties. I don’t want to kill you”.
I know this is a macabre topic, but I was bored!
I added a capybara to the list last year on I25 south of Albuquerque, poor thing was huge. Haven’t seen a bear live or dead yet despite the many signs warning of them everywhere.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
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I’ve been driving nights a lot and sometimes get bored. I started making a mental list of the road kill critters that I’ve seen on Interstates, US and State highways.
These are my unscientific observations.
Most Common Road Kill Critters
1. Armadillo (must be dumb as a rock)
2. Possums
3. Raccoons
4. Deer
(Hey DOT , please spend some money to remove the deer carcasses. I appreciate that buzzards and crows need to eat, but come on guys, gets gross after a couple weeks)
Less Common, but have seen more than once
1. Tortoises
2. Coyotes
3. Fox
4. Skunk
5. Squirrel
6. Raptors (Owls, Hawk)
7. Dog
8. Cat
Very typical to see Armadillo, Possum and Raccoons in clusters of 2-3. Must be getting whacked while hooking up for romance.
Usually I see the smaller 6”-8” tortoises, this is migration season for males seeking mates. However, I saw two very large 12” at least tortoises I think still alive on rural MO highway. I was able to straddle them so hopefully didn’t kill it.
I’ve seen both a live Armadillo and a Possum crossing interstate at night. Again I was able to straddle them with the truck, but don’t know if the trailer missed or not.
Passed a Bloodhound sitting in tall grass on a rural MO roadside. Thankfully it just sat there as I passed.
It breaks my heart to hit someone’s puppy or cat. I hit a puppy with my car on US65 in AR. The dog was chasing something across the highway at full speed. No way to avoid it. Some people should take better care for their family pet safety.
The grossest sighting was coming upon a fresh deer kill at night around a curve. The poor animal was torn to pieces. Blood and guts everywhere. Felt like I needed both a truck wash and shower after that one!
I see a lot of deer around 1:00-3:00am. They like the fresh grass along highways. I usually mentally tell them “Stay where you are, Sweeties. I don’t want to kill you”.
I know this is a macabre topic, but I was bored!
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).