article: A dangerous 'death ring' has been spotted around the San Francisco Bay Area. Scientists say the lethal ring is leaving tens of thousands of creatures with severe, and often fatal injuries. Now researchers have released an interactive roadkill map to show the trail of destruction being caused by California's state highways. To view the interactive map, click here . Pictured are the South San Franscisco bay Area regional highway roadkill hotspots. The ring of death refers to an area made up of made up of I-80 (labelled as 9) and Route 101 (labelled as 13 and 8) The map uses data from the California Roadkill Observation System, a volunteer-submitted database of instances where wildlife and vehicles collided over the past five years. It assigns different coloured markers for various sizes of species. Clicking on the dots reveals the species - striped skunk, mountain lion, black bear, gopher snake, desert iguana - and where and when they were hit. Animals can also be mapped individually. Major hotspots include the Sacramento area where I-80 and I-5 run across bypasses along the Pacific Flyway. In the region, marshy areas attract birds during migration resulting in high rates of roadkill. Where I-80 and I-5 run across bypasses along the Pacific Flyway, marshy areas attract birds during migration and result in high rates of roadkill . Sacramento area: Where I-80 and I-5 run across bypasses along the Pacific Flyway, marshy areas attract birds during migration and result in high rates of roadkill. Bay Area: 'It's sort of a ring of death around the Bay Area,' Shilling said. Interstate 80 and State Route 101 run alongside the bay, where high rates of wading birds and water birds are killed. Large animals are more likely to be hit on I-280 and State Route 17, particularly near areas of parks and open spaces. Southern California: Many areas along State Route 94 in San Diego County have high rates of collisions where the highway runs through wildlife habitat. Shilling said Caltrans is planning to build five new wildlife-crossing structures in this area because the data demonstrate both an immediate need and locations where structures would be useful. Sierra: Highway 70 in Plumas County and near Portola has high rates of roadkill, particularly deer. North Coast: Both State Routes 101 and 20 show high rates of collision between Willits and Lake Mendocino. 'It's sort of a ring of death around the Bay Area,' said Fraser Shilling at the University of California, Davis, who led the study. Interstate 80 and State Route 101 run alongside the bay, where high rates of wading birds and water birds are killed. Large animals are more likely to be hit on I-280 and State Route 17, particularly near areas of parks and open spaces. Meanwhile, many areas along State Route 94 in San Diego County have high rates of collisions where the highway runs through wildlife habitat. Highway 70 in Plumas County and near Portola also has high rates of roadkill, particularly deer. And on the North Coast, both State Routes 101 and 20 show high rates of collision between Willits and Lake Mendocino. Fraser Shilling, co-director of the Road Ecology Center at University of California, Davis, says it is the largest wildlife monitoring system in the state. It features more than 29,000 sightings of more than 390 of California's 680 native vertebrate species. The report's findings cover about 40 per cent of the total state highway system. Meanwhile, the public are being encouraged to submit entries, including photographs, to add to the map. 'These data help identify places where immediate action is warranted,' says Shilling, who is also a research scientist with the UC Davis department of environmental science and policy. According to Caltrans and California Highway Patrol statistics, there are about 1,000 reported accidents each year on state highways involving deer, livestock, and other wildlife. There is one long hotspot in the circled area, representing 20 miles of SR190. The 419 roadkill observations of 36 species within the hotspot were collected  between April 2011 and October, 2014 . Many areas along State Route 94 in San Diego County have high rates of collisions where the highway runs through wildlife habitat . The drought may be increasing the number of roadkill, as animals seem to be putting themselves at greater risk to find food and water sources, crossing roads they may not have in the past. While deer tend to use landscape 'corridors' when migrating, most other species do not appear to be using them. Landscape corridors, also known as wildlife corridors, are strips of land intended to connect parks and other wildlife reserves. But the roadkill data suggest that most animals tend to cross where they can, regardless of the location of these corridors. Birds are among the most common wildlife group types killed by road collisions. For instance, there is a high rate of barn owl roadkill where I-5 runs through agricultural lands of the Central Valley. Without trees or other elevated structures by the highways, the owls swoop down for prey without considering the trucks and other vehicles coming toward them. In what has not always been a popular suggestion, Shilling recommends for these areas planting vegetation such as oleander and ice plant, non-native species that repel rather than attract wildlife to the roadsides. 'You have a sterile, dangerous place - the roadway,' Shilling says. 'You don't want to attract animals there.' The drought may be increasing the number of roadkill, as animals seem to be putting themselves at greater risk to find food and water sources, crossing roads they may not have in the past . The long continuous hotspot represents 681 roadkill observations of 57 animal species. This isout of a total for the highway of 899 observations of 66 total species collected by 7 roadkillobservers, between October 2010 and October 2014 .
highlights: Death ring is made up of I-80 and Route 101 which run beside the bay .
  Other hotspots include Sacramento and Route 94 in San Diego County .
  The map uses different coloured markers to highlight the species at risk .
  Scientists believe the drought has caused animals to take bigger risks .
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