This deer can be recognized by its characteristic size, smaller than all other white-tailed deer. Territorial activity is limited to defending a receptive doe from other bucks. Key deer were hunted as a food supply by native tribes, passing sailors, and early settlers. Drive Slow. How Key Deer Became An Endangered Species. About 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of this privately developable land is on Big Pine Key and No Name Key, which are the central population areas for the deer. Key deer may be tiny in size, but this endangered species is big on the list of well-loved wildlife. The species was placed on the endangered list in 1967. [3][4][5][6], Conservation efforts include the establishment of the National Key Deer Refuge, which consists of about 8,500 acres (34 km2) on Big Pine, No Name Key, and several smaller uninhabited islands. Despite the absence of predators, Key deer retain the characteristic behavior of raising their tails when alarmed, revealing the white fur underneath. Key deer are endangered because their habitat is endangered. Antlers are grown by males and shed between February and March and regrown by June. However, there are a few of them that are in that type of predicament. Due to the many different types of deer out there and the locations where they are found, most people donât even consider them to be among the Endangered Species. The pest was declared as eradicated in April 2017. Habitat destruction due to human encroachment causes many deer to feed on non-native ornamental plants. A tiny endangered deer lives only in the Florida Keys. They have been listed as endangered since 1967. The velvet that grows on their antlers is distinctl⦠The endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. Today what remains of their habitat extends from the Sugarloaf Key to the Bahia Honda Key. Road kills from drivers on US 1, which traverses the deer's small range, are also a major threat, averaging between 125 and 150 kills per year, 70% of the annual mortality. The screw worm is a fly larva that enters an open wound of a live animal and eats the flesh of the animal from within, leading to a gruesome death. The deer ⦠When the antlers are growing, they have a white velvet coating. Fish and Wildlife Services announced that the state of the endangered deer species in the Florida Keys remains undetermined in the wake of ⦠The Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) is an endangered deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. The federal government is proposing to strip the Key deer of its endangered species status despite what environmentalists say are continuing threats to ⦠They face many challenges for their survival, but the greatest threat to their life presently is the possible loss of their protective, endangered status from the federal government under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). MIAMI (CBSMiami) â The Trump Administration plans to delist Key Deer from the endangered species list. Deer Endangered and Threats. A Key deer forages for food in the National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key. Females are smaller, weighing on average 65 pounds. The endangered Key deer herd was already coming out of a tough year â the herd lost more than 100 animals to New World screwworm. It was a group of Key Largo residents visiting Big Pine Key who noticed the female Key deer on Sunday. Less than 1,000 live in the Lower Keys By Adriana Brasileiro. In 2006, a habitat conservation plan was enacted by Monroe County and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which will limit development in primary habitat and provide for additional habitat purchases over the next 15 years. Key deer use all islands during the wet season when drinking water is more generally available, retreating to islands with a perennial supply of fresh water in dry months. Breeding occurs in the fall; with the majority of white–spotted fawns born in the late spring and summer months. They are the only large herbivore in the Florida Keys and can be found in every habitat, where they feed on dozens of native plant species. Currently fewer than 1,000 Key deer survive, although this is a incredible improvement from 1951, when only 25 individuals survived. The deer â which number 1,000 or less â occur nowhere else on Earth. Other steps to battle the outbreak included injecting deer with antiparasitic drugs, fencing off healthy sections of the population, and tracking a portion of deer with radio collars. Recent population estimates put the population between 700 and 800, putting it on the list of endangered species. The endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. Welcome to our website! Key deer stand less than 3-feet-tall and weigh less than 60 pounds. Hunting them was banned in 1939, but widespread poaching and habitat destruction caused the subspecies to plummet to near-extinction by the 1950s. For at least 11,000 years, they have roamed the islands, easily swimming from key to key. However, no decrease in total traffic deaths has been seen. The largest males typically stand only about 1 meter at the shoulder and weigh a maximum of around 85 lbs. Endangered Species Act in 1973. They are the only large herbivore in the Florida Keys and can be found in every habitat, where they feed on dozens of native plant species. In the Florida Keys, a little deer, relative of its wild whitetail cousins on the mainland, struggles to survive modern times, with mixed results. By the early 1950s the population had fallen to just 25 deer [5]. Key deer are faced with losing habitat to rising seas and threatened by increasingly intense hurricanes, she said. The outbreak killed 135 deer, roughly an eighth of the herd. They are perfectly adapted to living in the wild, they may, however, approach people looking for handouts; please help us keep them healthy and wild by not feeding them. [8], Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Trump Administration Opens Door To Dropping Florida's Key Deer From Endangered List", "Deadly fly larvae infests federally endangered Key deer population, more than 40 are euthanized", "Attack of the flesh-eating screwworm pushes up Key deer death toll", "Healthy Key deer may be corralled to save herd", "Flesh-eating fly outbreak that infested rare Key deer is over, feds say", National Fish and Wildlife Service species account, Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Key_deer&oldid=985908888, Articles needing additional references from July 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Authorities: Habitat Conservation Plan, 2006; FWS Biological Opinion on NFIP, August 2008, This page was last edited on 28 October 2020, at 17:41. We are the Key Deer Protection Alliance.We're here to tell you about the Key deer, a very special endangered species unique to the Florida Keys, and how they (hopefully) are being saved from extinction... if their habitat doesn't keep disappearing. The Key Deer are found in the area of the Florida Keys. It is the smallest North American deer. The earliest known written reference to Key deer comes from the writings of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a Spanish sailor shipwrecked in the Florida Keys and captured by Native Americans in the 1550s. Traffic fatalities account for about 70 percent of the Key deer fatalities each year. Key deer (odocoileus virginianus clavium), the smallest of all white-tailed deer, is a subspecies of the Virginia white-tailed deer. August 14, 2019 06:17 PM, To protect their dwindling numbers a Wildlife Refuge was established in 1957. Key deer inhabit nearly all habitats within their range, including pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks, mangroves, and freshwater wetlands. [1], The range of the Key deer originally encompassed all of the lower Florida Keys (where standing water pools exist), but is now limited to a stretch of the Florida Keys from about Sugarloaf Key to Bahia Honda Key. ... awareness about how this hurts other animals â including the endangered Key deer⦠When you reach Big Pine Key, youâll immediately see the standard yellow deer signs, as you would in other parts of the country, but youâll also see reduced speed limit signs â 45 mph in the daytime and 35 at night. Key deer feed on over 150 different species of native plants; you can help keep the key deer population healthy by not feeding them. [citation needed] Adult males (known as bucks) usually weigh 25–34 kg (55–75 lb) and stand about 76 cm (30 in) tall at the shoulder. The Welcome Center for the National Key Deer Refuge is tucked away in a corner of a shopping center just as you turn off of US-1 onto Key Deer Blvd. Poaching and habitat loss had reduced the number of Key deer to only a few dozen animals by the 1950âs, but establishment of the Refuge and subsequent listing of the deer as endangered in 1967 has allowed for protection and a dramatic recovery of the species. They mainly stick to the wetland areas here and have about 8,500 acres of refuge land where they live. [2], In September 2016, a screw worm infestation was discovered (the first infestation of its kind in the U.S. since 1982) to be affecting the Key deer population, necessitating the euthanasia of affected animals. The U.S. Despite the absence of predators, Key deer retain the characteristic behavior of raising their tails when alarmed, revealing the white fur underneath. Adult females form loose matriarchal groups with one or two generations of offspring, while bucks feed and bed together only outside the breeding season. The Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) is an endangered deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. Breeding occurs in the fall; with the majority of white–spotted fawns born in the late spring and summer months. The endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. Threats to Key deer include habitat loss from development of coastal habitats and floodplains, car accidents, disease, illegal feeding by humans, and climate change, which is affecting mangroves. With the Florida Keys having a long history of devastating hurricane hits, this concept is of special concern for the Key Deer (and several other endangered species living in the Keys). Thus, while the short term promises some cushion from extinction, the long-term prospects for the deer remain in doubt. Hereâs what we know about its fate. The deer now number close to a thousand, and are most concentrated on Big Pine and No Name Keys, where an estimated 75% of the population lives. Human interactions with deer such as illegal feeding have conditioned many deer to approach humans, leading to unhealthy conditions. A population survey in 2016 found the herd had grown to about 1,000, Warren said. These deer inhabit Big Pine Key and various surrounding keys. Pine rockland habitat is important, as well, because it is often the only reliable source of fresh drinking water (Key deer can tolerate drinking only mildly brackish water). The federal government is considering removing the iconic Key deer from the Endangered Species List.. Key deer, a small subspecies of the North American whitetail deer, live only in the Lower Keys. At the end of this period, however, most of the 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of privately owned habitat land on Big Pine and No Name Keys will still be open for further development. They stand at just 26 â 30 inches tall at the shoulder, and usually weigh no more than 75 pounds or so. The last couple of years have not been kind to the endangered Key deer. The Key deer is a subspecies of white-tailed deer which migrated to the Florida Keys from the mainland over a land bridge during the Wisconsin glaciation. The species feeds on over 150 types of plants, but mangroves (red, white, and black) and thatch palm berries make up the most important parts of their diets. The female fly mates once in her life, so the infestation can be battled by introducing sterile male flies to the population, causing the females to die out without laying fertile eggs. This high density of deer and proximity to homes and roads results in motor vehicle collisions, especially at night when the deer are more active. The biggest and most important of those islands is 16-square-mile Big Pine Key, home to the bulk of the deer population and the base for the federal deer refuge. Feeding acclimates them to humans and vehicles, and makes them more likely to be hit and killed by vehicles. Call FWC Dispatch to report a dead or seriously injured key deer at They are not found anywhere else in the world. The Key deer is listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act. Please obey! The Lower Keys is also the only place on the planet where Key deer live. Key deer may lose endangered species protection. This often results in car-to-deer collisions, as the deer are more active (and harder to avoid) at night. Living close to humans, they have little of the natural fear of man shown by most of their larger mainland relatives. The endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. In the two months since the storm, wildlife managers at the National Key Deer Refuge have determined that nearly all of the endangered Key deer ⦠In August 2019 the Trump administration announced that it was considering withdrawing the Key Deer from the Endangered Species List. Key deer inhabit 20-25 islands in the lower Florida Keys, ranging from No Name and Big Pine Key westward to the Sugarloaf Keys. Still, recent human encroachment into the fragile habitat and the deer's relatively low rate of reproduction point to an uncertain future for the subspecies. Poaching and habitat loss had reduced the number of Key deer to only a few dozen animals by the 1950’s, but establishment of the Refuge and subsequent listing of the deer as endangered in 1967 has allowed for protection and a dramatic recovery of the species. It is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer (O. virginianus). Alert - Refuge Plans Prescribed Burns early December 2020. Key deer easily swim between islands. The National Key Deer Refuge, a federally administered National Wildlife Refuge operated by the Wildlife Service, was established in 1957. Seeing them at dusk and dawn is not unusual. Longevity records are 9 years for males and 7 years for females. The Key Deer, Odocoileus virginianus clavium, is a subspecies of the ordinary ubiquitous Virginia Whitetail Deer, but the Key Deer has evolved and presently exists⦠Share this: Twitter The only known location for the Key Deeris in the Florida Keys area. By the summer of August 2019 most individuals were living on only one of the Florida Key islands, Big Pine Key.[2]. [citation needed], A portion of U.S. Route 1 was also elevated in 2003 to allow the deer to pass safely beneath the roadway, in an attempt to lessen the chance of road kills. They are the only large herbivore in the Florida Keys and can be found in every habitat, where they feed on dozens of native plant species. Human-caused death is the greatest known source of deer mortality. While its population is considered stable for now, the Key deer remains listed as a federally endangered species. That was before a screwworm outbreak killed 135 deer and Hurricane Irma's eye crossed the deer habitat as a Category 4-strength storm. Trump Administration Opens Door To Dropping Florida's Key Deer From Endangered List U.S. Adult females (does) usually weigh between 20 and 29 kg (44 and 64 lb) and have an average height of 66 cm (26 in) at the shoulders. 305-470-6863 X 7. The National Key Deer Refuge was established on Big Pine Key in 1957 and the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge was later established. A Key deer doe and fawn in Big Pine Key, Florida. Another distinguishing characteristic of this subspecies is their antler development. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended that Key Deer be "delisted due to recovery." So when the eye of Hurricane Irma crossed the Lower Keys as a Category 4 storm, wildlife managers were worried. The current Key deer population is estimated to be 700 to 800 deer, with the greatest concentrations on Big Pine Key and No Name Key. Their natural habitat here has continued to be taken away due to development in those areas by humans. Also, hanging around people and developed areas in higher than normal densities makes them more susceptible to diseases, dog attacks, and entanglements in human trash, all of which can lead to increased injuries or death. The deer are often found in residents' yards and along roadsides where plants and flowers grow. The easiest way to recognize this subspecies is by their small stature. The Key deer is a subspecies of white-tailed deer that lives only on a few islands in the Florida Keys, from Little Pine Key to Sugarloaf Key. However, the population has made an encouraging rise since 1955, when population estimates ranged as low as 25, and appears to have stabilized in recent years. It is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer (O. virginianus). The endangered Key deer herd was already coming out of a tough year â the herd lost more than 100 animals to New World screwworm. Due to uncontrolled hunting and habitat destruction, their numbers were estimated less than 50 animals in 1940's. It's a situation that isn't likely to improve. Under new rules under the Endangered Species Act put in place by the Trump administration, the deer may lose its endangered ⦠Tiny Key Deer Are An Endangered White Tail Deer Species Cute, tiny and totally unique to the Florida Keys, the key deer are beloved, and unfortunately endangered. The deer is a reddish-brown to grey-brown in color. Competing males joust for females during the rut by locking horns. Competing males joust for females during the rut by locking horns. Not all of the refuge lands are protected as public lands; despite extensive efforts of the refuge to purchase these private habitat lands for protection in the refuge, about 5,000 acres (20 km2) currently remain in private ownership and can potentially be developed. As part of a national plan reassessing the status of animals and plants on the Endangered Species List, the U.S. It is the smallest North American deer. Key deer are unique to the lower Florida Keys. Their fur tends to have a reddish or greyish hue to it, rather than the standard brown coloration of other white tailed deer. Endangered Species - The Key Deer one ofthe first endangered species protected by the U.S. Key deer are currently listed as endangered â because of human interaction. The species otherwise generally resembles other white-tailed deer in appearance. Currently fewer than 1,000 Key deer survive, and their future remains precarious. [7], The National Key Deer Refuge encourages people to help keep the Key deer wild by not feeding them. Breeding occurs all year, but peaks in October and December. Please help the Key deer by not feeding them, and help us spread the word about how important this is to maintaining a healthy deer population.
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