Ungulate: vehicle collision rates are associated with the phase of the moon.

The phase of the moon can affect activity patterns of nocturnal animals, and may also affect visibility for motorists. However, surprisingly little is known about whether the risk of a wildlife-vehicle collision (WVC) is associated with lunar phase. We investigated the relationship between frequency of WVC at night and lunar phase for four large ungulate species that account for a high proportion of serious WVC along roads in agricultural and forested landscapes of two continents: wild boar Sus scrofa, roe deer Capreolus capreolus, and red deer Cervus elaphus in Castile and Leon, Spain, and white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus in New York State, USA. Three of the four species most frequently collided with vehicles at night during the full moon phase of the lunar cycle; this pattern was evident throughout the year but was stronger during some months.

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Colino-Rabanal V.J. Langen T.A. Peris S.J. y Lizana M. Ungulate: vehicle collision rates are associated with the phase of the moon. Springer, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-017-1458-x

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Retrieved: 09 Nov 2025 05:31:34
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Resource type Text
Date of creation 2025-05-23
Date of last revision 2025-05-23
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Metadata identifier d6677b1b-5f77-5cc3-ae8b-547fd867f664
Metadata language Spanish
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ISO 19115 topic category biota
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Name of the dataset creator Colino-Rabanal, V.J., Langen, T.A., Peris, S.J. y Lizana, M.
Name of the dataset editor Springer
Other identifier DOI: 10.1007/s10531-017-1458-x
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