Florida Key Deer Presence on Outer Islands Following New World Screwworm and Hurricane Irma
Israel D. Parker1,*, Jeannette Parker2, Andrea E. Montalvo3, Roel R. Lopez3, Nova J. Silvy4, Alison A. Lund3, Edward Barham5, Drew S. Finn3, and Matthew Crawford3
1Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, College Station, TX 77843. 2Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Islamorada, FL 33036.3Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, San Antonio, TX 78218. 4Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.5Naval Air Station Key West, Key West, FL 33040. *Corresponding author.
Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 19, Issue 1 (2020): N20–N23
Abstract
The status of endangered Odocoileus virginianus clavium (Key Deer) on outer islands of Florida was unknown following several recent population declines. In response, we opportunistically monitored the western extent of the current range of Key Deer in Flordia using cameras and in-person observations to determine deer presence. We found evidence of Key Deer on islands at the far western edge of their current range such as Lower Sugarloaf Key, Saddlebunch Keys, Boca Chica Key, and the first documented occurrence of Key Deer on East Rockland Key. We recommend more intensive monitoring to determine the extent of the current range use and to calculate a range-wide abundance estimate.
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