The Florida Key Deer is the smallest subspecies of white-tailed deer in North America, standing only 2.5 feet at the shoulder. It is endemic to the Lower Florida Keys and was reduced to fewer than 25 animals in the 1950s before federal protection and the establishment of the National Key Deer Refuge enabled recovery to around 800 individuals. Rising sea levels from climate change threaten the low-lying freshwater sources these deer depend on.
Habitat
Tropical hardwood hammocks and mangrove swamps of the Florida Keys
Diet
Native plants, red mangrove, and freshwater vegetation
How common
Rare
Recent Florida Key Deer sightings near you
Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.
Spot a Florida Key Deer? Identify it instantly.
Point Huck at any plant or animal and get an instant ID, rarity, and field notes — building your personal nature collection as you go.
Get Huck — free