High Mortality of Nearctic River Otters on a Florida, USA Interstate Highway During an Extreme Drought

From 28 December 1999 until 15 July 2000, I recorded 15 river otters killed on a 16 km segment of Interstate highway in Polk County, Florida, USA. This included 9 during a 37 day period, the highest road mortality rate reported for North American otters. This compares to 22 otters killed on a south Florida road during a 2 year period. My sample of 15 killed on I-4 is a negatively biased count of the true number killed, due to the minimal sampling period and sampling method. Possible reasons for such a high number counted during such a short period are discussed, including the impact of a major drought, high traffic density, and possible dieldrin bioaccumulation.