A Look into the Rare Subspecies from the Florida Keys
The Florida Key Deer in one word is tiny. It's the size of a medium-sized dog, confined to a small area of the Florida Keys, and numbers in only about 700-800. These numbers make it an endangered species. A subspecies of Virginia White Tailed Deer, it is the smallest of its kind. The origin of the deer is unknown, however it is popular belief that a variation of the deer migrated over a land bridge created by the Wisonscin Glacier thousands of years ago.
What do they Look Like?
The most distinctive feature of these deer is one thing: their size. They measure only about 30" tall at the most, and this is for a full-grown buck. This full-grown buck will be between 50-75 lbs. Females will be only about 2 feet tall!
Key Deer can be identified by their light brown fur coat with white spots. According to the Key Deer Research Project, the Key Deer herd has been split into semi-domesticated "urban" and "wild" deer.
Rutting (mating) season activities, spurred by the decreasing hours of daylight, begin in September, and are at their height in early October, then decreasing through November and December. It is not unusual to see breeding as late as February. Gestation period is 204 days, fawns being born April through June. Fawns will weigh 2 to 4 pounds. The deer's antlers are dropped February through March, beginning to regrow almost immediately so that by June, bucks with 2" stubs are seen. The antler growth is completed by August, and velvet is rubbed and kicked off in early September.
Key Deer Links
- National Key Deer Refuge
- The National Key Deer Refuge helps protect and preserve Key deer and other wildlife resources in the Florida Keys.
- The Key Deer Research Project
- This study promises to provide a better understanding on the effect of urban development on Key deer movements, habitat use, and behavior.
- Key Deer Battles!
- Watch videos of Key Deer battling for supremacy!
- Key Deer Photo Gallery
- See photos of Key Deer here!
Key Deer Photos on Flickr
Key Deer Buck
Looking over Shoulder
In the Woods
So Cute!
Endangered
Deer on Big Pine Key
Big Pine Key, Florida
Good Swimmers?
Key Deer, like most deer, can swim, and will when they need to. They can swim short distances and can hop between islands without getting too tired out. Imagine that sight!
Life in the Keys
Key Deer give birth to approximately 1.08 doe a year on average, usually mating in the fall months. At this rate, they are increasing at about 1-3% per year.
The Key Deer is also hurricane-resistant...well, sort of.
Okay, they aren't, but read this: A report from Texas A&M that used radio collars to track movement, behavior and trends of these animals concluded that Hurricane George resulted in only one Key Deer death from drowning! If you've ever been to the Florida Keys, you know how flat the land is, and how much it can flood. This is an impressive number!
Living Amongst People
Hunting of Key Deer, which brought about their endangered status, was banned in 1939. Key Deer are often unafraid of humans, due to their frequent contact with man on the small islands. Roadside feeding on Big Pine Key has contributed to luring the tiny deer towards the busy roadway, as well as concentrating the population into one small area, increasing risk for parasites and disease.The Florida Keys, being small in size, have only one major roadway running through the middle of the islands (US Route 1), connected via bridges. The Key Deer naturally crosses this roadway frequently. This has lead to a staggering 30-40 kills per year (70% of all of the deaths of Key Deer). Though feeding is discouraged, it has been tough to enforce. Recently, an elevated roadway on Big Pine Key has been constructed, complete with a tunnel for the deer to travel under. Unfortunately, the mortality rate from roadkills has not decreased. A large fenced-in area has also been constructed.
What can you do to safely view Key Deer if you're in the area? According to keysdirectory.com, "Instead of stopping along a busy section of state highway, officials recommend that visitors travel to the north end of Key Deer Blvd. or to the east end of Watson Blvd. on No Name Key. This area is part of National Key Deer Refuge and offers safe viewing."
Key Deer Poll
GO SLow!
When traveling through the Florida Keys, be sure to go slow and stay alert, especially at night, when Key Deer are very active. Most Key Deer deaths are the result of car strikes, so be careful in the middle islands between Bahia Honda Key and Sugarloaf Key.
You can Help!
Places to Donate
You can donate to the Key Deer Protection Alliance to help save the Key Deer from extinction. The Key Deer Protection Alliance believes that presentation of factual information will foster positive attitudes toward current and future protective measures for the deer.
You can also donate to FAVOR, Friends and Volunteers of Refuges here. The Mission of FAVOR - Florida Keys is to support the National Wildlife Refuges of the Florida Keys through Education, Volunteerism, Non-Adversarial Advocacy and Fundraising.
Please note we are not affiliated with these organizations, but fully support their causes!
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Seen a Key Deer? Been to the Florida Keys?
Leave your comments here!
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sisterra
I love your animal lenses. The photos are beautiful. Posted March 25, 2008 |
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Evelyn_Saenz
The Purple Gallinules just flew over to check out your lens. We have never seen a Key Deer. Have any of you deer seen us? Posted February 15, 2008 |
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flowski
I had never heard about Key Deer, thanks for the information. They are so cute! Posted February 08, 2008 |
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Classic
Excellent work here! Thanks for submitting this to my group Nature and Environment. I look forward to reading more of your work! Posted January 27, 2008 |
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Signhappy
I loved this lens. We have a deer "problem" at our city park. To me it is a blessing to see these beautiful creatures up close, not a problem. Who cares if they eat a few flowers! 5 stars for your lens. Posted January 26, 2008 |
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Florida's Key Deer
Amazon Price: $25.95 (as of 08/28/2008)
