South/Aldercroft side - 2/12/2020
Coverage: Aldercroft Heights Road intersection to stop sign.
Time: 9:54am - 11:46am
Weather: Warm, clear, dry, has been dry for quite a while now.
Rainfall: MTD 0.02 in, YTD 15.21 in (per http://www.weathercat.net/wxraindetail.php)
Vehicles: 21 (including one MidPen truck and several trucks working on Soda Springs Road)
Bikes: 2
Pedestrians: 0
One of the Soda Springs workers asked what I was doing and was sympathetic.
88 dead newts, none fresh, most very dry
1 dead Jerusalem cricket
1 dead squirrel (I think western grey)
1 dead young ring-necked snake
While both the squirrel and snake were found on the road, neither were obviously run over, so I won't label them as roadkill, since I'm not sure what got them.
Comments
So many snakes! I found one on Tuesday, and two last week.
I think that not all roadkills are flat. An animal could get hit by a car, and still look pretty intact. If they don't move out of the way, they will eventually get also run over. Many of the fresh newts we find on the road are still in good shape, sometimes they look like they're alive, but they have been hit by a car. Also, I can't see another reason for a dead animal to be on the road. If at all, this is a place where they can't last very long.
@merav, would predators leave something like a snake or squirrel on the road if interrupted in their dinner by a vehicle?
Good point about some roadkill looking almost alive. I saw many cases like that.
I think they might. But I would also think the animal won't be intact, or at least have some blood on it?
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