This animal identification game is designed to help fill the time while traveling to and from the wilderness. You can think of it as a “road killing-time” game. The object of the game is to score the most points by identifying animals along the highway.
The rules of the road kill game are simple:
1. You must be slightly twisted to play this game. If you aren’t, please consider alternative games. Perhaps identifying living flowers is more your thing.
2 Your playing or not playing this game will have no impact on these animals. That impact has certainly already occurred.
3. If you are still reading you are officially twisted and therefore qualified to play.
4. Passengers in the car are divided into two teams. Those on the right-hand side of the car own all the lanes to the right of the center line. Those on the left-hand side of the car own all the lanes to the left of the center line. Passengers in the center seats must be assigned to one side or the other.
5. Points are only scored for animals identified on your side. Identifications need to be called out and verified by the opposing team. No points awarded for claiming things that aren’t there.
6. 1 point for each unidentifiable animal mass. For example, you all agree it is not a piece of carpet or a rag, but you are not exactly sure what it is, or rather what it was.
7. 3 points for each small bird, reptile or rodent which can be positively identified. For example, “That’s was a yellow-bellied sap sucker” gets you 3 points, but “eewww” only gets you 1 point.
8. 5 points for each positively identified common medium sized animals. Examples would include a raccoon, skunk, coyote, cat or dog.
9. 10 points for a larger mammal, such as a deer, or for a more exotic smaller animal, such as a bobcat.
10. 25 points for a major find. To be a major find it must be something completely unexpected that shocks the sensibilities of the entire car. A circus animal for example.
Game Over
The Animal Identification Game ends when you reach your own final destination, or a significant number of passengers report feeling sick to their stomach. Total up points, high score wins.
Travel of Direction Advantage
If you are traveling to the wilderness you are probably doing so at a time and day when others are as well. Maybe it is Friday evening and you are headed out for a weekend get-away. Maybe it is Sunday evening and you are returning from an outing. Unless you are on a significantly different schedule than most, you are likely traveling with the dominate flow of traffic. More traffic means more opportunity for road kill. In right-side driving countries, such as the United States, if your road kill identification team is on the right side of the car you have a slight advantage . Because of this, you may want to assign center seat passengers to the left side of the car, in hopes of balancing out this advantage.
Photos
Yes, the photos provided here were in fact taken by me, driving to and from the wilderness. Next time you seem me on the side of the road honk and wave, but no need to scream “sicko!” That’s already been taken care of, thanks.
Redemption
Those of you feeling emotionally run over by this game may want to make a guilt cleansing donation of time or money. May I recommend: