Cedros Island mule deer | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Cervidae |
Subfamily: | Capreolinae |
Genus: | Odocoileus |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | O. h. cerrosensis |
Trinomial name | |
Odocoileus hemionus cerrosensis Merriam, 1898 |
The Cedros Island mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus cerrosensis) is a subspecies of mule deer [2] found only on Cedros Island off the coast of Baja California. Only about 50 individuals remain, with no captive population. Its behavior is similar to that of other subspecies of mule deer. The subspecies is threatened by feral dogs and poaching. [1] [3]
The Cedros island mule deer shows a reduction in body size and antler size compared to mainland deer, which is an effect of isolation in a relatively small island, according to the "island rule" of Leigh Van Valen. There are also differences in fur coloration which distinguish cerrosensis from other mule deer, but most closely resembling Odocoileus hemionusfuliginatus. [4]
Cerrosensis is one of the ten named subspecies of mule deer. Although it may be a may be synonyms of O. h. eremicus or O. h. peninsulae, [5] studies based on DNA samples, rather than observation, can show clearer objective differences. [6] In the case of the Cedros deer, its status as a valid subspecies can be defended due to their endemicity to the island, morphological differences, and distinct mitochondrial patterns. [4]
Cedros deer primarily occupy the northern side of the island, being less common in the southern section, where human activity is more prevalent. [4]
The white-tailed deer, also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia, where it predominately inhabits high mountain terrains of the Andes. It has also been introduced to New Zealand, all the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean, and some countries in Europe, such as the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Romania and Serbia. In the Americas, it is the most widely distributed wild ungulate.
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer.
Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer that occupy coastal woodlands in the Pacific Northwest of North America are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies.
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The California mule deer is a subspecies of mule deer whose range covers much of the state of California.
The Yucatan brown brocket is a small species of deer native to Central America.
Slevin's mouse, also known as the Catalina deer mouse, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina off the east coast of Baja California Sur, an island with an area of about 40 km2 (15 sq mi), and it is the only native mammal on the island. It is named for Joseph Slevin, a curator at the California Academy of Sciences.
The Capreolinae, Odocoileinae, or the New World deer are a subfamily of deer. Alternatively, they are known as the telemetacarpal deer, due to their bone structure being different from the plesiometacarpal deer subfamily Cervinae. The telemetacarpal deer maintain their distal lateral metacarpals, while the plesiometacarpal deer maintain only their proximal lateral metacarpals. The Capreolinae are believed to have originated in the Middle Miocene, between 7.7 and 11.5 million years ago, in Central Asia.
Odocoileus lucasi, known commonly as the American mountain deer, is an extinct species of North American deer.
The Central American red brocket is a species of brocket deer ranging from southern Mexico, through Central America, to northwestern Colombia.
There are at least 14 large mammal and 50 small mammal species known to occur in Glacier National Park.
The Alberta Mountain forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of Western Canada, as defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.
There are at least 9 large terrestrial mammals, 50 small mammals, and 14 marine mammal species known to occur in Olympic National Park.
The Tiburón Island mule deer or Sheldon's mule deer, is a subspecies of the mule deer that is native to Tiburón Island, Sonora, Mexico.