Overview
- Researchers synthesized over 312 studies from 67 countries covering at least 650 species, with mammals most represented, followed by reptiles, birds, amphibians and invertebrates.
- The review identified 26 broad application areas and 91 specific uses, spanning anatomy, microbiomes, species ecology, parasites, teaching and more.
- Authors argue roadkill aligns with the 3Rs ethical framework by reducing live capture and note potential time savings on formal ethics approvals when samples come from carcasses.
- Documented outcomes include mapping species distributions, monitoring disease and pollution, tracking invasive species, supplying museum collections, locating populations thought extinct and discovering previously unknown species.
- Caveats include permit requirements, biosafety and traffic risks, decomposition and sampling bias, and the authors note the vast supply of specimens with hundreds of millions killed globally each year, including about 10 million native animals in Australia.