Road Kill Chronicles

I've taken out a couple owls, bats, many birds, 3 raccoons at the same time, and possums. I've narrowly missed several deer, coyotes and even had a red fox dart across from me. And of course probably millions of bugs at this point.

One of our drivers a couple years ago hit a horse that got free on I80 and totalled his truck.

We've always called them armadeado's

When we lived in St Petersburg I remember hitting an armadillo around 2am on I-75 just north of Palmetto before ya hit the NB toll booth to cross the skyway bridge. Surprisingly, hitting it in my Ford Fiesta doing 70 mph and bouncing under the car caused no damage.

I’ve hit an owl with my car. Poor thing was stuck in my front grill.

Have narrowly missed deer by mere inches darting across in front of my car.

So far nothing big with the truck.

Maybe the Armadillos are drinking too much Lone Star beer (remember those old commercials)?

When we lived in St Petersburg I remember hitting an armadillo around 2am on I-75 just north of Palmetto before ya hit the NB toll booth to cross the skyway bridge. Surprisingly, hitting it in my Ford Fiesta doing 70 mph and bouncing under the car caused no damage

Whoops! I meant I-275!

I've seen 6 dead bear this year in the state of Pennsylvania. That is highly unusual but our bear population is thriving.

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.

Well Dennis, like the man said: this is a new twist on topics. Cudos for driving at night, I'm not a fan of it.

Watch out for the dreaded chupacabra.

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!

If you straddled the armadillo, you killed it.

When armadillos get scared they jump straight up in the air and then come down running.

I straddled one long ago in my van and it sounded like a basketball bouncing up and down the floor boards as I passed over it.

Oh, and they have armadillo races in San Angelo, TX. Funniest thing is to see them start the race by pounding the ground on either side of the armadillo. Armadillo jumps and then hits the ground running.

Funniest thing is to see them start the race by pounding the ground on either side of the armadillo. Armadillo jumps and then hits the ground running.

Try that with a porcupine! Just don't stand directly over it.

What is a capybara?

I found this description of the Chupacabra.

“Few cryptids are as storied and as fearsome as the dreaded chupacabra. A blood-sucking creature allegedly the size of a small bear, sometimes with a tail, often covered in scaly skin, and with a row of spines down its back, the chupacabra has been a staple in folklore throughout Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the southwestern United States for decades.

Named after the first animals they were reported to have killed and drained in 1995 (“chupacabra” literally means “goat-sucker” in Spanish), the bloodthirsty creature supposedly moved on to chickens, sheep, rabbits, cats, and dogs. Hundreds of farm animals were ending up dead and bloodless, and people had no idea why.”

What is a capybara?

A water-loving mammal from South and Central America. It may remind one of a huge Guinea pig with longer legs, or a cross between a pig and a beaver (minus the flat tail).