Abstract

CANALES-DELGADILLO, Julio et al. Traffic fatalities on the coastal road of the Gulf of Mexico: how many and what wildlife species are being lost?. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2020, vol.91, e913189.  Epub Mar 01, 2021. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2020.91.3189.

Roads represent a link between social and economic development. However, they also represent barriers that fragment the habitat and impact the natural dynamics of the ecosystems and their wildlife. In Mexico, studies on the effect of roads on wildlife are scarce, and the number and species of animals that die in them are unknown. The objective of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of the impact that roads have on wildlife by finding out which taxonomic groups are most frequently run over and what their mortality rate on 143 km of a coastal route in the Yucatán Peninsula. We collected data through weekly surveys from October to December 2018 and recorded 949 road-kills, being the lepidopterans the group with most of the fatal incidents followed by birds, and then, mammals. Seven of the species with dead specimens on this route are under legal protection. We did not find a correlation between the number of road-kills and the speed or vehicle load in the study area.

Keywords : Collisions; Road-kills; Conservation; Yucatan Peninsula.