Cedros Island Mule Deer
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The Cedros Island mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus cerrosensis'') is a subspecies of
mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') 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. Unlike the related whit ...
found only on
Cedros Island Cedros Island (''Isla de Cedros'', "island of cedars" in Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the state of Baja California, Mexico. The dry and rocky island had a population of 1,350 in 2005 and has an area of which includes ...
off the coast of
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
. 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.


Anatomy

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 Leigh Van Valen (August 12, 1935 – October 16, 2010) was a U.S. evolutionary biologist. At the time of his death, he was professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. Research and interests Amongst ...
. There are also differences in fur coloration which distinguish ''cerrosensis'' from other mule deer, but most closely resembling ''Odocoileus hemionus'' ''fuliginatus.''


Subspecies classification

''Cerrosensis'' is one of the ten named subspecies of mule deer. Although it may be a may be
synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...
of ''O. h. eremicus'' or ''O. h. peninsulae,'' studies based on DNA samples, rather than observation, can show clearer objective differences. 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.


Distribution

Cedros deer primarily occupy the northern side of the island, being less common in the southern section, where human activity is more prevalent.


See also

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California mule deer The California mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus californicus'') is a subspecies of mule deer whose range covers much of the state of California. Anatomy One of the principal means of distinguishing the closely related black-tailed deer and whi ...
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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 (''Odocoileus hemionus''). They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all r ...
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Sitka deer The Sitka deer or Sitka black-tailed deer (''Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis'') is a subspecies of mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus''), similar to the Columbian black-tailed subspecies (''O. h. colombianus''). Their name originates from Sitka, A ...
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White-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5057179 Deer Endemic mammals of Mexico Endemic fauna of the Baja California Peninsula
Mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...