Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

White-tailed Deer / Key Deer

The Park boasts two types of deer: The White-tailed deer, common throughout most of the United States east of Colorado, and the Florida Key Deer, a smaller subspecies of the white-tailed deer that occurs nowhere else in the world.

WHITE TAILED DEER
Odocoileus virginianus

The White-Tailed deer is found through out the state of Florida with a state herd of an estimated 1 million animals. The white-tailed deer is without a doubt the best example of modern wildlife management in the world. In the early 1900s, it was a rare experience to even see a deer in the wild. With good sound management, hunting seasons & limits sanctuaries and education, the whitetail now numbers in the millions, and lives in practically every state in North America.

These deer are found occupying farmland, brushy areas, forests, plains and swamps throughout the US. White-tailed 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
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.

Deer Facts

•The scientific name for white-tailed deer is
Odocoileus virginianus

• The deer population in Florida is over 1million animals

•There are more deer now than in Colonial times

• A baby deer is called a fawn

•A fawn has no smell when first born.

• Key deer are the smallest of all white-tailed deer.

Key deer are only found in the Florida Keys.

• Key deer can tolerate small amounts of salt in their water.

Photo By Jim Moses

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