Road-kill of Mammals in Nova Scotia

Authors

  • David Fudge Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1
  • Bill Freedman Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1
  • Michael Crowell Jacques-Whitford Environment Limited, 3 Spectacle Lake Road, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B3B 1Q9
  • Tony Nette Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Branch, Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 4E5
  • Vince Power Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Branch, Kentville, Nova Scotia B4N 4E5

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v121i3.474

Keywords:

White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, Moose, Alces alces, Black Bear, Ursus americanus, Raccoon, Procyon lotor, Porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, Skunk, Mephitus mephitis, Snowshoe Hare, Lepus americanus, Coyote, Canis latrans, road-kill, Nova Scotia

Abstract

We examined road mortality of wild mammals in Nova Scotia using data from (a) five years of province-wide data on wildlife collisions involving larger mammals, and (b) 20 months of observations of smaller mammals along a 160-km route near Halifax. An average of 2079 White-tailed Deer was reported killed annually on highways during 1999 through 2003, along with 14 Moose and 33 Black Bear. Female White-tailed Deer were more likely to be road-killed than males (by a factor of 1.8), yearlings more so than older animals, and there were peaks of mortality in the late spring and late autumn. The road-kill of smaller mammals was highest in the summer and least in the winter, and the most frequent mortalities were of Raccoon (28% of observations), Porcupine (27%), Skunk (17%), Snowshoe Hare (6%), Coyote (4%), and Groundhog (3%). The standardized kill-rate (number/100 km) was highest on a 100-series highway compared to trunk highways or urban streets, but the rate standardized to vehicle density was highest on trunk highways.

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