Love Is In The Air
Since the beginning of February I have unfortunately noticed an increase in roadkill. Mostly small animals like, possums, raccoons, and skunks. This got me wondering, why is this? Had the small creatures suddenly forgot how to navigate, what cataclysmic event could be happening?
After a bit of reading on the internet I found that valentines day roughly coincides with the mating season of these (and many other) animals. Smaller animals like this have a much shorter gestation period than whitetail deer. Meaning that a skunk for instance would give birth to its young sometime in early Summer whereas deer, whose mating season is in the late fall, give birth to their young in the spring. In short, larger animals take a much longer time to develop and a wild animal is better off giving birth during the warmer part of the year. There is much more to it than that but I can only fit so much in a blog post. Additionally, warmer weather this spring has led to an increase in activity as more food becomes available.
Just remember this spring, keep an eye out for these little creatures as they ensure the survival of their species!
You can learn more about mammals and other Ohio wildlife by visiting the Ohio Department of Natural Resources online guides at https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/mammals
Some inspiration from this article came from:
