Inbreeding Question

[BSK]

So a mammal being on an island would be similar to a fish placed in a aquarium.
When I think of the Florida Key deer and the Deer in the region of Saskatchewan and compare the build of their body's the term Habitat Adaptation comes to mind. Interesting animals for sure.

Many, many species of land mammal display this miniaturization process when living on isolated islands. Even humans have done this in the past, with "Hobbit" people of Indonesia that were discover back about a decade ago. The last remaining mammoths in existence lived on isolated islands, and they had shrunk to the size of horses.

 

[Roadracer6]

I was just up in SD for a pheasant hunt for the 1st time in October. My very 1st observation, black rich soil thats not from coal=high output of crops=large critters. I grew up in IN and moved to middle TN in 2006. 1st observation was poor soil (very rocky/clay mix)=much smaller deer.
IMO, it's entirely about their food and what it takes to survive (harsh winters vs very mild winters).

 

[AlabamaSwamper]

People used to say that about wmas in central and south Alabama

Pretty sure the 100+ deer power sq mile in pine thickets was the reason for small bodies.

The old timers I grew up hunting with used to talk about going south and seeing 100+ a day on those hunts. Most being does and fawns. Bucks were rare.

Hunted with one old man that went somewhere in south Alabama in the 60s and 70s to a plantation every year once a year. They would kill 200 deer in a weekend making dog drives to thin the herd. Only killed a portion of them. Most under 100lb.

Friend of mine used to be a part of one of these hunts in Hale County in the late 70s and early 80s as a kid. Said they'd kill 100 a day. Landowner would host it once a year to thin the herd. These large plantations back then. Few thousand acres.