Results
In total we compiled 5010 roadkill events from both systematic surveys
and non-systematic studies (citizen science and other studies). Most of
these (4244) had accurate geographic information with GPS coordinates
taken at the site where roadkill was found. In total, roadkill records
represented at least 454 wildlife species. Most were non-threatened
fauna, but two are listed as Critically Endangered, four as Endangered,
nine as Vulnerable, and six as Data Deficient by the IUCN (IUCN, 2022).
Nearly all records were tetrapods with relatively similar proportions of
records in the four classes but marked differences in the diversity of
species identified. Birds had the highest number of roadkills: 1428
(28.50% of the total) representing 200 species, followed by reptiles
with 1356 records (27.06%) from 123 species, 1326 records (26.47%) for
94 mammalian species, and 895 records (17.86%) for 36 amphibian
species. We obtained five records via citizen science (0.1%) for two
invertebrates classes, Malacostraca and Clitellata. This vertebrate bias
does not reflect lack of roadkill among invertebrates but detectability
and the most common target groups of systematic surveys and citizen
science efforts.
Although amphibians had the lowest number of records, the cane toadRhinella marina was the most roadkilled species with 532 records
(more than half of the records for amphibians). The second and third
most recorded species were two marsupials: the common opossumDidelphis marsupialis (n=454) and the Andean white-eared opossumDidelphis pernigra (n=336). A bird, the yellow warblerSetophaga petechia (n=193), and a reptile, the common green
iguana Iguana iguana (n=126) were the fourth and fifth most
roadkilled species.