Florida Key Deer
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Transcript Florida Key Deer
Florida Key Deer
Odocoileus virginianus clavium
Introduction to Key Deer
Found in the Florida
Keys, mainly on Big
Pine and No Name
Keys
SMALL – Does are
about 26 inches at
the shoulder and
weigh about 65
pounds. Bucks are
about 30 inches at
the shoulder and
weigh about 80
pounds.
Relative Species
Virginia White-Tailed
Deer is closest relative,
the Key Deer is a
subspecies of the whitetailed deer.
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Artiodactyla
Family:Cervidae
Genus:Odocoileus
Species:O. virginianus
Subspecies:O. v. clavium
Background Information
Migration
- From a land bridge from
mainland many thousands
of years ago.
Numbers
- Currently about 700 to 800,
have been as low as 27.
Endangered
- Decreasing population
numbers made
endangered in 1957
Strategies
“K” Strategist
Iteroparous & Univoltine
Food
- Mangroves, berries,
plants, mainly fresh, but
some salt water.
Habitat
- Most active from dusk till
dawn, resides in cool
areas during the day, on
the Keys and nearby
islands.
Conservation
In 1957 the National
Key Deer Refuge
was established.
Research
Relocation
Education