Watch out for the car! Almost a thousand amphibians and reptiles ran over by cars at a single location during one reproductive season in Bahia state, Brazil. Issue 3 (2nd October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Farias, Wellington; Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras; Dodonov, Pavel; Forti, Lucas Rodriguez
• Is Part Of: Biodiversity. Volume 23:Issue 3/4(2022)
• Page Start: 129
• Page End: 137
• Publication Date: 2022-10-02
• Subjects: amphibian roadkill -- breeding season -- conservation -- road ecology -- reptile roadkill -- amphibian mortality; Biodiversity conservation -- Periodicals; Biotic communities -- Periodicals; Biodiversity -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.95
• DOI: 10.1080/14888386.2022.2140710
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1488-8386

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Roads represent a severe threat to wildlife populations, especially during the rainy season when animals move between habitats to feed and reproduce. We monitored roadkilled amphibians and reptiles in a 2.5-km stretch of a secondary road in the state of Bahia, Brazil, for 47 days from November 2021 to February 2022. Our surveys registered 838 dead individuals of 18 identified species; most were amphibians of the family Leptodactylidae (87.5%), primarily juveniles. We often found individuals close to two extensive swamps at the road's edge. Reptiles (snakes and turtles) represented only 1.3% of all observed roadkill. Our results show that a single spot on a secondary road can significantly impact the local herpetofauna, and we emphasize the need for mitigation measures to avoid further population declines. Key policy insights: Collisions with vehicles caused mass mortality and threaten amphibian and reptile populations on a road in Bahia state, Brazil. These populations involved 18 species with terrestrial and aquatic habits. Juveniles of amphibians were the most affected animals. Most roadkill was observed at the edge of the road in a stretch close to two swamps. Mitigation actions are necessary to curb roadkill of amphibians and reptiles at local and regional scales in Brazil.