Roadkill

[joebartels]

1400 birds killed annually in Saguaro NP
https://www.hcn.org/issues/291/15268

Who does the counting and do they know how to count?

Are there ramps setup to help target flocks?

Or maybe it's 4-5 daily malnourished or dehydrated road runners?

[chumley]

I'm suddenly very hungry. When's lunch?

[fricknaley]

i didn't do it

[flagscott]

There are well-established methods for estimating numbers of animals killed, mainly involving walking along roads and counting dead animals. Of course, dead animals disappear fairly quickly thanks to coyotes, ravens, etc., but there are also methods for figuring out how long carcasses stick around. A little bit of fancy math lets you correct the number of carcasses seen for the number that get eaten before you could count them.

Of course, a lot of dead animals end up stuck in the grill of the car that hit them (I've seen birds and bats personally), so whatever they estimate, the actual number is probably higher since the ones that end up in the car are never counted.

In the US, the number of animals (vertebrates--birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians) killed by cars is surely in the hundreds of millions and maybe in the billions.

(Sorry to get all science-y. That's just what us scientists do.)

[chumley]

well-established methods for estimating numbers of animals killed

I'd like to know more about these.

[Alston_Neal]

Free range organic gluten free road jerky, there should be an app for that.

[juliachaos]

The PD in the town I grew up in would sometimes pick up fresh deer roadkill and turn it into jerky. It was pretty tasty.

[skatchkins]

well-established methods for estimating numbers of animals killed

I'd like to know more about these.

Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.
However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.
MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.
The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.
The scientific conclusion was that while all the lookout crows could say "Cah", none could say "Truck."

[CannondaleKid]

while all the lookout crows could say "Cah", none could say "Truck."

I love it... crows with a Bwaaston accent! :whistle:

[Jim]

Why isn't this thread in the food/ recipes forum?

[rcorfman]

Why isn't this thread in the food/ recipes forum?

My thoughts exactly!

Sung to Three Blind Mice

Road kill stew,
Road kill stew,
Tastes so good,
Just like it should.

First you go down to the interstate,
You wait for the critter to meet its fate,
You take it home and you make it great,
Road kill stew,
Road kill stew.