Wildlife-vehicle collisions at 42 Florida State Parks, 2005-2015

Peninsular Florida, USA: 9,254 WVC survey records collected by Florida State Parks personnel at 42 parks during a decade (2005-2015). Data represent observations of wildlife-vehicle collisions for birds (138 species), mammals (35 species), and reptiles (64 species). The 42 state parks encompassed a variety of Florida’s ecosystems on the peninsula and keys (and North, but not the Florida panhandle) from barrier islands and the Everglades to pine flatwoods, sandhills, and urban areas. Climate ranged from subtropical in South Florida to warm temperate in North Florida.

Methods
Florida State Park personnel collected WVC data as part of a statewide program, where data forms included date, general location (not GPS coordinates), species, and number of individuals for organisms killed on roads. Parks varied in how data were collected (staff or volunteers, temporal frequency and extent, roads) but all surveys were conducted while driving (i.e., none were conducted by walking road margins). Taxonomic identifications are to species level for birds, mammals, and reptiles. Data were iteratively cleaned to assure consistency (e.g., taxonomy, road names, etc.).