Surprisingly, flattened fauna can teach us a lot about wildlife biology.

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To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: Roadkill: The remains of animals killed by motor vehicles. Road ecology: The study of how roads impact the surrounding environment and its inhabitants. Invasive species: Non-native animals that outcompete local animals for resources. Fieldwork: The collection of data outside of a laboratory setting. Confounder: A variable (like animal reaction to oncoming cars) that influences the outcome when comparing a dependent variable (like number of animals) to the outcome (number of roadkill carcasses of said animal).

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CREDITS

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David Goldenberg | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Josh Taira | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Ever Salazar | Audio Editing Nathaniel Schroeder | Music

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Sarah Berman • Arcadi Garcia Rius David Goldenberg • Julián Gustavo Gómez Melissa Hayes • Alex Reich • Henry Reich Peter Reich • Ever Salazar • Kate Yoshida

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REFERENCES

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Jacobson, S. L., L. L. Bliss-Ketchum, C. E. de Rivera, and W. P. Smith. (2016) A behavior-based framework for assessing barrier effects to wildlife from vehicle traffic volume. Ecosphere, 7(4). Retrieved from: https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/jacobson/psw_2016_jacobson001.pdf.

Capula, M., Rugiero, L., Capizzi, D., and Milana, G. (2014). Long-term, climate change-related shifts in monthly patterns of roadkilled Mediterranean snakes (Hierophis viridifavus). Herpetological Journal, 24: 97-102. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261986760_Long-term_climate_change-related_shifts_in_monthly_patterns_of_roadkilled_Mediterranean_snakes_Hierophis_viridifavus.

Yeager, A. (2017). After Disaster Strikes, Often Science Benefits. Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/after-disaster-strikes-science-often-benefits/2017/09/15/4cd0c522-98a6-11e7-87fc-c3f7ee4035c9_story.html.

Thomas, E. and Wilson, E. (2018). Guidance for surveying hedgehogs. Hedgehog Street. Retrieved from: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Guidance-for-surveying-hedgehogs.pdf

Schwartz, A., Shilling, F., and Perkins, S. (2020). The value of monitoring wildlife roadkill. European Journal of Wildlife Research. 66:18. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10344-019-1357-4

Shilling, F. Personal Communication (2020). Co-Director, Road Ecology Center at University of California, Davis. https://roadecology.ucdavis.edu/