The park boasts two types of deer. The White-tailed deer which is common throughout most of the United States east of Colorado and the Florida Key Deer which is a smaller subspecies of the white-tailed deer that occurs no where else in the world.
White Tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
These deer are found occupying farmland, brushy areas and forests throughout most of north America. These deer can be 3 to 3.5 feet tall at the shoulder and anywhere from 4.5 to 6.75 feet in length. They generally weigh 150 to 300 pounds. In the summer the deer have red-brown fur that changes to gray-brown in the winter. The tail is characteristically long and the underside is white. If alarmed the deer raises its tail exhibiting a bright flash of white. This "hightailing" communicates danger to the other deer or helps a fawn follow its mother in flight.
Florida Key Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus seminola
Smaller than the White-tailed deer, it is believed that this subspecies migrated to the keys from the mainland thousands of years ago. As the Wisconsin glacier melted the seas rose to create the islands we now refer to as the Keys. These Key deer are the smallest of all white-tailed deer. They are 24 to 28 inches high at the shoulder. Does weigh approximately 45 to 65 pounds while the larger male can be 55 to 75 pounds. Key deer are herbivores feeding mainly on native plants. Also, they can tolerate small amounts of salt in their water.
Today there are between 250 and 300 of these deer remaining and they are protected by law. Federal law prohibits the disturbance and feeding of the deer. We must respect the deer and their habitat so we can ensure their survival throughout the Keys.
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