The Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) is an endangered subspecies of the white-tailed deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. It is the smallest extant North American deer species. See more

This deer can be recognized by its characteristic size, smaller than all other white-tailed deer. Adult males (known as bucks) usually weigh 25–34 kg (55–75 lb) and stand about 76 cm (30 in) tall at the shoulder. Adult females (does) usually weigh between 20 … See more

Breeding occurs all year, but peaks in October and December. Territorial activity is limited to defending a receptive doe from other bucks. Longevity records are 9 years for males and 7 years for females. Adult females form loose matriarchal groups with one or … See more

Conservation efforts include the establishment of the National Key Deer Refuge, which consists of about 8,500 acres (34 km ) on Big Pine, No Name Key, and several smaller uninhabited islands. Not all of the refuge lands are protected as public lands; … See more

Key deer easily swim between islands. Living close to humans, they have little of the natural fear of humans shown by most of their larger mainland relatives (an example of island tameness). The deer are often found in residents' yards and along roadsides … See more

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 … See more

The species feeds on over 150 types of plants, but mangroves (red, white, and black), silver palm fruit and thatch palm berries make up the most important parts of their diets. Pine … See more