1-2 hour old Endangered Florida Key Deer Fawn
Photo courtesy of :
Key Deer
Protection Alliance
The Endangered Mammals of
Florida
The Key Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
clavium
The Florida Key Deer is the
smallest Deer in the United States.
It is a sub-species of the
white tailed Deer and
is believed
to be found only in the
Florida Keys.
Key Deer range in height from 25-35
inches
and weigh between 45-75 pounds,
with the females being at the smaller
numbers.
They can swim between the Islands
where they are found.
A Florida Key Deer Fawn
Photo credit: NPS
Safe drinking water on the Islands is
scarce and is a constant problem for them.
Their numbers range broadly between 300-800 and
have been as few as 25 in the past.
A Florida Key Deer
Photo credit: Paul Frank/USFWS
70% of Key Deer deaths come from cars and there are
signs posted everywhere in their known habitats,
with
up to date car death numbers for all to see.
Key Deer are on the roads everywhere
Photo credit: “Copyright Larry Korhnak”
After seeing these
fragile, delicate creatures in the Keys,
their fate is of an
even more personal nature now.
A Florida Key Deer Fawn
Photo Credit: Wiki
They roam with little fear through yards and grassy areas
grazing on their
favorite food of mangrove, as well as other
not so digestible plant
life and are treasured by most of the locals.
Florida Key Deer Mother and Fawn
Photo credit:
John Oberheu/USFWS
The encroachment of
civilization on their already small habitat,
along with traffic
and dogs are the major threats to the deer numbers.
A Florida Key Deer Fawn
Photo credit: USFWS
Population stability
for the Endangered Key Deer may be difficult to
achieve however,
because speed reduction, seen as the most
effective way to
stop the road deaths, will not be popular
in an area with
extremely heavy tourist traffic year round.
Places to learn more:
CNN
Growing Population Rivals Endangered Key Deer
Defenders of Wildlife
Key Deer
Florida Environment.com
Florida's Key Deer on the Rebound
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission
National Key Deer
Refuge - Wildlife Viewing
Florida Keys Parks and Beaches
National Key Deer
Refuge
GORP
National Key Deer Refuge
Key Deer Protection
Alliance
Working hard to save the Florida Key Deer
Museum of Science - Miami
The Key Deer Through the Eyes of a Child
National Wildlife Federation
Court Upholds Protection for Endangered Key Deer
What's Killing the Key Deer
Texas A & M
Key Deer Research Project
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
National Key Deer Refuge
Key
Deer
- Species Report
Walking with the Alligators
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Last edited
January 24, 2012
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