A population survey in 2016 found the herd had grown to about 1,000, Warren said. Under new rules under the Endangered Species Act put in place by the Trump administration, the deer may lose its endangered ⦠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). Fish and Wildlife Services announced that the state of the endangered deer species in the Florida Keys remains undetermined in the wake of ⦠Key deer easily swim between islands. 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. Please obey! 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. 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). Females are smaller, weighing on average 65 pounds. For at least 11,000 years, they have roamed the islands, easily swimming from key to key. 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. The endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. The easiest way to recognize this subspecies is by their small stature. [7], The National Key Deer Refuge encourages people to help keep the Key deer wild by not feeding them. 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. How Key Deer Became An Endangered Species. They are not found anywhere else in the world. Key deer stand less than 3-feet-tall and weigh less than 60 pounds. They have been listed as endangered since 1967. They stand at just 26 â 30 inches tall at the shoulder, and usually weigh no more than 75 pounds or so. [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. 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. August 14, 2019 06:17 PM, Key deer inhabit 20-25 islands in the lower Florida Keys, ranging from No Name and Big Pine Key westward to the Sugarloaf Keys. As part of a national plan reassessing the status of animals and plants on the Endangered Species List, the U.S. ... awareness about how this hurts other animals â including the endangered Key deer⦠The Lower Keys is also the only place on the planet where Key deer live. However, no decrease in total traffic deaths has been seen. A Key deer doe and fawn in Big Pine Key, Florida. Feeding acclimates them to humans and vehicles, and makes them more likely to be hit and killed by vehicles. The endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. 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. Deer Endangered and Threats. [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. It's a situation that isn't likely to improve. Their natural habitat here has continued to be taken away due to development in those areas by humans. 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 It is the smallest North American deer. It is a subspecies of the white-tailed deer (O. virginianus). The species was placed on the endangered list in 1967. Key deer may be tiny in size, but this endangered species is big on the list of well-loved wildlife. When the antlers are growing, they have a white velvet coating. Endangered Species Act in 1973. 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 endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. [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 Key Deer are found in the area of the Florida Keys. Another distinguishing characteristic of this subspecies is their antler development. 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. Key deer may lose endangered species protection. The U.S. MIAMI (CBSMiami) â The Trump Administration plans to delist Key Deer from the endangered species list. 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. Their fur tends to have a reddish or greyish hue to it, rather than the standard brown coloration of other white tailed deer. Habitat destruction due to human encroachment causes many deer to feed on non-native ornamental plants. 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. 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. Due to uncontrolled hunting and habitat destruction, their numbers were estimated less than 50 animals in 1940's. Key deer inhabit nearly all habitats within their range, including pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks, mangroves, and freshwater wetlands. The Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) is an endangered deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. The largest males typically stand only about 1 meter at the shoulder and weigh a maximum of around 85 lbs. Breeding occurs in the fall; with the majority of white–spotted fawns born in the late spring and summer months. 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). Welcome to our website! [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. Call FWC Dispatch to report a dead or seriously injured key deer at Hereâs what we know about its fate. Endangered Species - The Key Deer one ofthe first endangered species protected by the U.S. 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. [citation needed] 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. That was before a screwworm outbreak killed 135 deer and Hurricane Irma's eye crossed the deer habitat as a Category 4-strength storm. By the early 1950s the population had fallen to just 25 deer [5]. Key deer feed on over 150 different species of native plants; you can help keep the key deer population healthy by not feeding them. However, there are a few of them that are in that type of predicament. In August 2019 the Trump administration announced that it was considering withdrawing the Key Deer from the Endangered Species List. The deer are often found in residents' yards and along roadsides where plants and flowers grow. Seeing them at dusk and dawn is not unusual. 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 endangered Key deer is the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer. This deer can be recognized by its characteristic size, smaller than all other white-tailed deer. 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 deer â which number 1,000 or less â occur nowhere else on Earth. 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. 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. The species otherwise generally resembles other white-tailed deer in appearance. Living close to humans, they have little of the natural fear of man shown by most of their larger mainland relatives.
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