Mammals of Florida Field Guide

by Stan Tekiela

Overview

Identify Florida mammals with this easy-to-use field guide, organized by family and featuring full-color photographs and helpful information.

Whether you happen upon an animal track or actually see wildlife in nature, encountering mammals is a thrill. Learn to identify mammals in Florida. With Stan Tekiela’s famous field guide, mammal identification is simple and informative. The Mammals of Florida Field Guide features all 82 species found in the state, organized by family and then by size. When you see a mammal, you can determine its family by common visual characteristics and then turn to the corresponding section to find out what it is! Fact-filled information contains the particulars that you want to know, while full-color photographs provide the visual detail needed for accurate identification.

This second edition also includes range maps and Stan’s expert insights. So grab the Mammals of Florida Field Guide for your next outing to help ensure that you positively identify the wildlife you see.

Inside you’ll find:

• All 82 of Florida’s mammals, from mice to manatees
• Facts about size, habitat, range, young, and more
• Times each animal is most likely to be active and signs it might leave behind
• Professional photos, range maps, and track patterns
• Stan’s naturalist notes and fascinating facts

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647555139
Publisher:	Adventure Publications, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/04/2025
Series:	Mammal Identification Guides
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	4.30(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Stan Tekiela is a naturalist, author, and wildlife photographer with a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural History from the University of Minnesota. He has been a professional naturalist for more than 35 years and is a member of the Minnesota Naturalists’ Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, North American Nature Photography Association, and Canon Professional Services. Stan actively studies and photographs wildlife throughout the United States. He has received various national and regional awards for outdoors education and writing. His syndicated nature column appears in more than 20 cities, and his wildlife programs are broadcast on a number of Midwest radio stations. Stan has authored hundreds of educational books, including field guides, quick guides, nature books, children’s books, and more, presenting many species of animals and plants. His Florida field guides include Birds of Florida, Mammals of Florida, Trees of Florida, and Wildflowers of Florida. Stan resides in Victoria, Minnesota, with his wife, Katherine, and daughter, Abigail.

Read an Excerpt

White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus

Family: Deer (Cervidae)

Size: L 4-7' (1.2-2.1 m); T 6-12" (15-30 cm); H 3-4' (0.9-1.2 m)

Weight: M 100-250 lb (45-113 kg); F 75-150 lb (34-68 kg)

Description: Reddish brown during summer, grayish brown during winter. Large ears, white inside with black edges. A white eye-ring, nose band, chin, throat, and belly. Brown tail with a black tip and white underside. Male antlers have many small tines originating from a central beam; antler spread is 12-24" (30-61 cm). Female is overall smaller, has a thinner neck, and lacks antlers.

Origin/Age: native; 5-10 years

Compare: Sambar deer (pg. 257) is larger, darker, and seen only on St. Vincent Island. Key deer (pg. 249) is restricted to only a few islands in the Keys.

Habitat: many habitats such as woodlands, ranchlands, wetlands, and scrublands

Home: no den or nest; sleeps in a different spot every night, beds may be concentrated in one area, does not use a shelter in bad weather

Food: herbivore; grasses and other green plants, acorns, and nuts in summer, twigs and buds in winter

Sounds: loud whistle-like snorts, male grunts, fawn bleats

Breeding late Aug-Oct mating in southern Florida, Oct-Nov in northern Florida; 6-7 months gestation

Young: 1-2 fawns once per year from April through June; rare to have 3-4; covered with white spots, walks within hours of birth

Signs: browsed twigs that are ripped or torn (due to the lack of upper incisor teeth), tree rubs (saplings scraped or stripped of bark) made by male while polishing antlers during the rut; oval depressions in grass or leaves; round, hard brown pellets during winter, segmented cylindrical masses of scat in spring and summer

Activity: nocturnal, crepuscular; moves along same trails to visit feeding areas, most active in early morning and the end of day

Tracks: front hoof 2-3" (5-7.5 cm) long, hind hoof slightly smaller, both with a split heart shape with the point in the front; neat line of single tracks; hind hooves fall near or directly onto fore prints (direct register) when walking

Stan’s Notes: There are many subspecies of white-tailed deer in Florida, including the tiny Key deer (pg. 249), which inhabits just the Keys. All subspecies look similar and act the same; size and habitat are the only differences.

In summer, antlers are covered with a furry skin known as velvet. Velvet contains a network of blood vessels that supplies nutrients to growing antlers. New antler growth begins after the male (buck) drops his antlers in January or February. Some females (does) grow antlers. Antler growth is tied to available nutrition. It is impossible to judge the age of a buck by the number of antler tines or antler size due to the direct correlation between antlers and nutrition. Examining teeth is a better way to estimate age.

Grows longer guard hairs in winter, giving the deer an overall gray color and larger appearance than in summer. Hairs of the winter coat are thick, hollow, and provide excellent insulation.

Usually restricts its movement to a relatively small home range and is dependent on the location of the food supply. Eats 5–9 pounds (2.3–4.1 kg) of food per day, preferring acorns in fall and fresh grass and other green leaves in spring. Research shows that white-tails eat up to 500 different plants. The four-chambered stomach enables the deer to get nutrients from poor food sources, such as twigs, and eat and drink substances that are unsuitable for people, including poison ivy and deadly mushrooms.

Able to run up to 37 mph (60 km/h), jump up to 8.5 feet (2.6 m) high, and leap 30 feet (9.1 m). Also an excellent swimmer.

For two weeks after birth, fawns lie still all day while their mother is away feeding. Mother nurses them during the evening and at night.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Sample Pages

The Mammals

Glossary

Helpful Resources

Appendix: Taxonomy of Florida’s Mammals

Checklist/Index by Species

Photo Credits

About the Author