Endangered Animals of Florida Series: Key Deer, Lo LbNA #50456 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Sep 17, 2009 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Big Pine Key |
| County: | Monroe |
| State: | Florida |
| Boxes: | 3 |
| Planted by: | Moo Poo  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | KaeganDragon (3) |
| Last found: | Oct 17, 2010 |
| Status: | FFOFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Sep 17, 2009 |
ENDANGERED ANIMALS OF FLORIDA SERIES: KEY DEER, LOWER KEYS MARSH RABBIT, AMERICAN CROCODILE Letterbox
Created by: Moo Poo
Placed by: Moo Poo
Stamp: Hand-carved
*****All 3 Boxes have gone missing!*****
National Key Deer Refuge, Big Pine Key (Hours: Sunrise – Sunset)
Key Deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium)
The Key Deer is related to the Virginia white-tailed deer. They live on Big Pine Key and the surrounding keys in Florida. The Key deer are the smallest of all the white-tailed deer. They are not found anywhere else in the world.
No records exist to tell us where the Key Deer originally came from. It is believed that the deer migrated to the Keys from the mainland many thousands of years ago, across a long land bridge. As the Wisconsin glacier melted, the sea rose dividing the land bridge into small islands known as the Florida Keys.
The Key deer are the smallest of all the white-tailed deer. The shoulder height of Key deer is between 24-32 inches. Does weigh 45 to 65 pounds while bucks weigh 55 to 80. At birth fawns weigh 2 to 4 pounds. They feed on native plants such as red, black and white mangroves, thatch palm berries and over 160 other species of plants. Key Deer can tolerate small amounts of salt water, but fresh water is essential for their survival. They must also have suitable habitat to ensure their future existence.
Due to uncontrolled hunting and habitat destruction the numbers of Key Deer were estimated at less than 50 in the 1940's, putting them on the endangered list. With the opening of the National Key Deer Refuge in 1957, and new laws, the population has gone up.
Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri)
The Lower Keys Rabbit is a marsh rabbit subspecies found only in the very southern tip of Florida. They are small-to-medium sized marsh rabbits, with short, dark brown fur and a grayish-white belly. They live in coastal marshes, eat grass and tree bark, and are endangered because of habitat loss. There's only about 100 to 300 of the furry little things left. Like Key Deer, the Lower Keys Rabbits are smaller than their cousins (they’re the smallest of the three marsh rabbit subspecies and distinguished from other marsh rabbits by its dark fur). There are marsh rabbits all over the southeastern United States, but the theory is that when sea levels rose 10,000 years ago, some animals got stranded. The isolation and environmental differences led to the emergence of a new subspecies of marsh rabbit.
The Lower Keys marsh rabbit is habitat specific, depending upon a transition zone of grasses and sedges for feeding, shelter, and nesting. They are endemic to the Lower Florida Keys. The narrow geographic range of this species causes it to be more susceptible to extinction. Habitat destruction and fragmentation associated with residential and commercial construction activities over the past 20 years is responsible for the Lower Keys marsh rabbit’s endangered status. The current status of the Lower Keys marsh rabbit is considered to be declining.
American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
American crocodiles are well-armored with tough, scaly skin. They are gray-green or olive-green with long, slender snouts, which distinguish them from their cousin, the alligator. Also unlike the alligator, the fourth tooth on the bottom jaw of the American crocodile is visible when its mouth is closed. Males in the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally carrion. South Florida is the only place in which the crocodile and the alligator occur together.
Reproduction among crocodilians is the most advanced among reptiles. Courtship and nesting are protracted and complex. Sexual maturity depends on both the size and age of the animal. Unlike birds and mammals, the sex of embryos is not determined at fertilization, but by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. It is likely that courtship occurs in late January and February and peaks 6 to 8 weeks before nesting. During this period, crocodiles remain in their inland habitats of mangrove swamps. The principle nesting site of the American Crocodile in Florida is Florida Bay. Nesting is a wet season activity occurring around the end of April and the beginning of May. Females lay between 20 to 60 eggs per clutch and the eggs will incubate for about 85 days, hatching in late July or early August.
Survey data, except in the United States, is poor or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that illegal hunting and habitat depletion has reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile to critical levels. A small, remnant population lives in southern Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Their habitat of choice is the fresh or brackish water of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps. The American crocodile is listed as an endangered species by the United States and the State of Florida, but despite protection efforts, the population of the crocodile in South Florida has remained small.
Predation, hydrological regime, and habitat loss are the most important factors influencing the success of crocodiles in Everglades National Park. While adult crocodiles have no natural predators other than man, hatchlings have a high mortality rate primarily due to predation by raccoons, birds, and crabs. Alteration of salinity and water levels in Florida Bay (located in the southern part of Everglades National Park extending south to include the Florida Keys) and as a result of extensive drainage programs also may be a factor. Crocodile nests that are too wet or too dry (desiccated) result in mortality of eggs. While adequate nesting habitat remains, good year-round habitat has been lost with the development of the upper Florida Keys. The American crocodile is so rare and shy of many, few conflicts with people have occurred. The outlook for crocodiles in Florida is optimistic.
Created by: Moo Poo
Placed by: Moo Poo
Stamp: Hand-carved
*****All 3 Boxes have gone missing!*****
National Key Deer Refuge, Big Pine Key (Hours: Sunrise – Sunset)
Key Deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium)
The Key Deer is related to the Virginia white-tailed deer. They live on Big Pine Key and the surrounding keys in Florida. The Key deer are the smallest of all the white-tailed deer. They are not found anywhere else in the world.
No records exist to tell us where the Key Deer originally came from. It is believed that the deer migrated to the Keys from the mainland many thousands of years ago, across a long land bridge. As the Wisconsin glacier melted, the sea rose dividing the land bridge into small islands known as the Florida Keys.
The Key deer are the smallest of all the white-tailed deer. The shoulder height of Key deer is between 24-32 inches. Does weigh 45 to 65 pounds while bucks weigh 55 to 80. At birth fawns weigh 2 to 4 pounds. They feed on native plants such as red, black and white mangroves, thatch palm berries and over 160 other species of plants. Key Deer can tolerate small amounts of salt water, but fresh water is essential for their survival. They must also have suitable habitat to ensure their future existence.
Due to uncontrolled hunting and habitat destruction the numbers of Key Deer were estimated at less than 50 in the 1940's, putting them on the endangered list. With the opening of the National Key Deer Refuge in 1957, and new laws, the population has gone up.
Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri)
The Lower Keys Rabbit is a marsh rabbit subspecies found only in the very southern tip of Florida. They are small-to-medium sized marsh rabbits, with short, dark brown fur and a grayish-white belly. They live in coastal marshes, eat grass and tree bark, and are endangered because of habitat loss. There's only about 100 to 300 of the furry little things left. Like Key Deer, the Lower Keys Rabbits are smaller than their cousins (they’re the smallest of the three marsh rabbit subspecies and distinguished from other marsh rabbits by its dark fur). There are marsh rabbits all over the southeastern United States, but the theory is that when sea levels rose 10,000 years ago, some animals got stranded. The isolation and environmental differences led to the emergence of a new subspecies of marsh rabbit.
The Lower Keys marsh rabbit is habitat specific, depending upon a transition zone of grasses and sedges for feeding, shelter, and nesting. They are endemic to the Lower Florida Keys. The narrow geographic range of this species causes it to be more susceptible to extinction. Habitat destruction and fragmentation associated with residential and commercial construction activities over the past 20 years is responsible for the Lower Keys marsh rabbit’s endangered status. The current status of the Lower Keys marsh rabbit is considered to be declining.
American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
American crocodiles are well-armored with tough, scaly skin. They are gray-green or olive-green with long, slender snouts, which distinguish them from their cousin, the alligator. Also unlike the alligator, the fourth tooth on the bottom jaw of the American crocodile is visible when its mouth is closed. Males in the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally carrion. South Florida is the only place in which the crocodile and the alligator occur together.
Reproduction among crocodilians is the most advanced among reptiles. Courtship and nesting are protracted and complex. Sexual maturity depends on both the size and age of the animal. Unlike birds and mammals, the sex of embryos is not determined at fertilization, but by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. It is likely that courtship occurs in late January and February and peaks 6 to 8 weeks before nesting. During this period, crocodiles remain in their inland habitats of mangrove swamps. The principle nesting site of the American Crocodile in Florida is Florida Bay. Nesting is a wet season activity occurring around the end of April and the beginning of May. Females lay between 20 to 60 eggs per clutch and the eggs will incubate for about 85 days, hatching in late July or early August.
Survey data, except in the United States, is poor or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that illegal hunting and habitat depletion has reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile to critical levels. A small, remnant population lives in southern Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Their habitat of choice is the fresh or brackish water of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps. The American crocodile is listed as an endangered species by the United States and the State of Florida, but despite protection efforts, the population of the crocodile in South Florida has remained small.
Predation, hydrological regime, and habitat loss are the most important factors influencing the success of crocodiles in Everglades National Park. While adult crocodiles have no natural predators other than man, hatchlings have a high mortality rate primarily due to predation by raccoons, birds, and crabs. Alteration of salinity and water levels in Florida Bay (located in the southern part of Everglades National Park extending south to include the Florida Keys) and as a result of extensive drainage programs also may be a factor. Crocodile nests that are too wet or too dry (desiccated) result in mortality of eggs. While adequate nesting habitat remains, good year-round habitat has been lost with the development of the upper Florida Keys. The American crocodile is so rare and shy of many, few conflicts with people have occurred. The outlook for crocodiles in Florida is optimistic.