Wild vertebrates run over on BR 158, RS, Brazil

Among the problems threatening wild fauna, being run over is an important one, which results in a high mortality rate for several species. This study aimed to identify the species run over along 98km of BR 158 (which connects the county of Cruz Alta to the Val de Serra District in Júlio de Castilhos county, in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), to analyze the monthly rates of roadkill, and to correlate this with the monthly total rainfall. Monthly expeditions were performed between April and September 2007, and a total of 61 animals belonging to fifteen species were recorded (a rate of 0.10 ind./km/month). The most victimized species were the skunk (Conepatus chinga), totaling 17 individuals (28%), followed by the pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), with seven individuals (11%) and the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), with five individuals (8%). There was no difference in rates of roadkill among the sampling period; however, the month with the highest record of was September (n = 18). No correlation was verified for the rate of roadkill and monthly precipitation, but there was a trend between the occurrence of roadkill and a higher volume of rainfall.