local wildlife/roadkill

[unclehobart]

When you drive down the road... what kinds of animals scurry across it? What are the local types of critters that end up being roadkill?

Here in Atlanta, outside of the stray housepet, its primarily grey squirrels and little brown chipmunks.

I thought of this because of my trip to Hawai'i. Out there, all they have are small asian mongoose running wild.

edit: add raccoons and opossum.

 

[MrBishop]

Near home: Dogs, cats, squirrels, skunks, raccoons and the occasional wild-hare
On Highways: Skunks, raccoons, beaver, deer, moose, snakes, frogs/toads, and "brown-furred unidentifyable mammals"

Occasionally...the odd homo sapiens sapien gets it too...but they're not as edible as you might think.

 

[Uki Chick]

Near home: Dogs, cats, squirrels, skunks, raccoons and the occasional wild-hare
On Highways: Skunks, raccoons, beaver, deer, moose, snakes, frogs/toads, and "brown-furred unidentifyable mammals"

Occasionally...the odd homo sapiens sapien gets it too...but they're not as edible as you might think.

Just about the same in our area, except we don't really see moose, deer, beaver, snakes or frogs/toads. We'll see groundhogs instead along with your cats, dogs, skunks, raccoons. Although dogs and cats are very rare.

 

[tonksy]

housepets, deer, possom, coon, nutria, snakes, gator...yes, i'm serious..., we have armadillos at times too.

 

[A.B.Normal]

Deer,Racoon,rabbit,frogs ,cats

 

[Luis G]

Nearer to my city (like 100km around), horses, donkeys and cows.
Near to the coast, lizards and crabs.

 

[Oz]

Very poor pickings here

Hedgehogs mostly, the occasional badger, Jackdaws, Crows, pheasant......Frogs and toads and rarely a polecat/stoat or weasel.

Hardly worth making a piecrust for

 

[MrBishop]

Nearer to my city (like 100km around), horses, donkeys and cows.
Near to the coast, lizards and crabs.

COWS...frig, almost forgot about cows...damn near creamed one (pardon the pun), with the minivan this past summer. Bloody thing had knocked down a gate and was checking to see if the grass was greener on the other side. This was at 11pm, on the way back from our cabin in upstate NY.

Friggin thing was HUGE!!!

 

[Luis G]

You mean the cow nearly creamed you, smashing your car against a horse or cow is really really bad.

That's why most highways/freeways around here have fences, so no animals can get in.

 

[Sharky]

Deer, possum, rabbits, skunks, squirrels, armadillos, gators, foxes, snakes, wombats, raccoons, coyotes, and once I saw a Florida panther cross the road.

 

[paul_valaru]

moose

moose are big

 

[chcr]

moose are big

Thanks for pointing that out.

Around here it's mostly 'possums, skunks and deer.

Crossing the highway late last night
Shoulda looked left and he shoulda looked right.
Didn't see the station wagon car,
Skunk got squashed and there you are...

---Loudon Wainright III

 

[Bungi]

dogs and cats, assorted birds and possums... as well as the odd fox, snake or lizard.

 

[freako104]

back home yes for teh most part. around here i havent seen too many but maybe because they are hibernating. b ut I think its the same.

 

[Professur]

I damn near drove under a moose once, at the lake. My colt would have passed right under without anything but the antenna touching, had I not seen the movement and braked.

Damn things are nothing but a shadow at night, blacker'n'sin.

 

[Leslie]

wow that must been scary

 

[Professur]

Yup.

 

[unclehobart]

ok... battery of questions #1:

Are the groundhogs able to scurry across the road with any kind of speed... or do they just lumber along nice and slow like a fat little target that they are? How big are they?

wtf is a nutria? jackdaw?

Wombat? I know I should know that one... but I just can't picture it. Size? Nocturnal? Diurnal?

Moose... are they good eating? Is any of it worth a flip after wrecking your car up against one? Are they a protected animal for the most part?

I should also add rabbits to my list as well even though I only see them in my own neighborhood. I have a warren under my front yard and have even seen owls scoop up a few at night as they lazily come out to gnaw on lawn grass.

 

[Professur]

Moose. Hitting a moose doesn't wreck your car. It's when you hit a leg out from under it, and it falls on you. And they're so damn tall, they come down like a tree, well up the car. 1700 lbs of meat, bone and antler, square across the windshield and roof.


But they's damn good eat'n

 

[unclehobart]

Do you age moose like beef... or do you cook it asap. Some meats, like bear, go sour really quick because the fat does some kind of freaky cascade metabolic breakdown.

I would probably try and make 1000lbs of moose jerky. Is such a thing available in the stores?