The last day of our vacation included a stopover to see the Key deer.The deer used to live on all of the Keys, but now are concentrated in the middle Keys, and in particular, Big Pine Key and No Name Key. The adults are the size of a large dog, about 30 inches tall and weigh about 65 to 75 pounds. The following discussion is from Wikipedia.

"The Key deer is a subspecies of white-tailed deer which migrated to the Florida Keys from the mainland over a land bridge during the Wisconsin glaciation. The earliest known written reference to Key deer comes from the writings of Hernando de Escalante Fontaneda, a Spanish sailor shipwrecked in the Florida Keys and captured by Native Americans in the 1550s.

"Due to proximity, most Key deer have lost their fear of humans. This, besides habitat loss, is the main reason why they have become endangered.

"Key deer were hunted as a food supply by native tribes, passing sailors, and early settlers. Hunting them was banned in 1939, but widespread poaching and habitat destruction caused the subspecies to plummet to near-extinction by the 1950s. The National Key Deer Refuge, a federally administered National Wildlife Refuge operated by the Wildlife Service, was established in 1957.

"Recent population estimates put the population between 700 and 800, putting it on the list of endangered species. Road kills from drivers on US 1, which traverses the deer's small range, are also a major threat, averaging between 125 and 150 kills per year, 70% of the annual mortality."

In the 1950s, the population was reduced to about 25, but the current population is estimated to be about 700.

The vegetation in their habitat is not nutritious, so they adapted by evolving to the smaller size.

The last photo is the interior of the No Name Pub, which is a nice place if you can find it. They have great burgers, pizza and chili. Rumor has it that the building was once a bordello.